Forbidden Love
by Mayumi Selnia
Summary: Luka Megurine moved to the country to live with her grandmother in the Amane Shrine. On her first day, she caught a glimpse of a purple-haired person who was hiding in the bushes in front of her balcony. Who is this mysterious person? And why does Luka's grandmother forbid Luka and this person from meeting each other?
1. Chapter 1: Grandma's House

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 1: Grandma's House

It was a bright and sunny day with the puffy clouds filling up the sky. The birds were singing lovely songs to each other as they are perched up on the tree. The fresh air wafted on her nose and the wind blew her long tresses of pink hair over her face.

"So this is the country, huh?" the pink-haired girl said, hopping off the bus which drove away with a not-so-loud noise after she got off.

She walked up the hill, hearing the crunching noises of the dried leaves as she stepped on them with her black flats. The sun shone brightly, but the autumn wind made it chillier than the actual temperature.

"Almost there," she smiled, looking up at the gigantic shrine gate called a _torii._

She walked up the long series of stone stairs, not breaking a sweat. She stopped halfway to look back at the scenery she passed, finding only the dirt path in the middle of the forested hill. After a couple of minutes, she finally reached her destination.

"Wow. It's huge!" she exclaimed as she reached the top of the shrine's stairs.

There, she saw the place that she'll be living in from then on. It was a huge shrine consisted of smaller buildings, their use still unknown to her.

"Welcome, Luka-sama," a girl with a peach-colored hair said.

"Luka's fine, no need for the –sama," Luka replied, not used to being called 'Luka-sama'.

"Where's my grandmother?" Luka asked, walking closer to the girl.

"She's inside waiting for you. Follow me," the peach-colored hair said, dropping the broom she was using to sweep the dead leaves into one pile.

"Won't we have to go in the _chouzuya_ to cleanse our mouth and hands before we continue," Luka asked, stopping the girl from proceeding.

"It's okay, Luka-sama. In this shrine, we only cleanse our mouth and hands on special occasions," the girl said before she continued walking.

They walked into the shrine's long approach called the _sandou_. Luka observed the girl wearing a pair of long, divided trousers called _hakama_, that were pulled up to her waist, a white kimono jacket called _haori, _and her peach-colored hair loosely tied with a white ribbon.

"She's the _miko_, huh?" Luka thought.

"Oh, my name is Momo, Luka-sama," the _miko _said, looking back at Luka, startling her.

"Oh, I'm Luka—"

"I know, Luka-sama," Momo said, smiling.

The continued walking down the approach until they reached the _shamusho_, where Luka would be staying in. They took off their shoes before they went in to keep the building clean. The place was so quiet that the only thing they heard was the sounds of their feet hitting the floor as they walked.

Momo kneeled beside a sliding door and lightly knocked.

"Momo-san?" answered a voice from the other side of the door.

"Amane-sama, your granddaughter has arrived," Momo replied.

"Grandma—"

"Luka?" her grandmother interrupted.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Welcome to the Amane Shrine. You will be staying here under my care from now on. You are only allowed to see me if I commanded you. You must also follow all my instructions may it be instructed personally by me or by Momo-san so you may not endanger yourself. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Luka replied, a little distressed that she's not able to see her grandmother, who she has not seen for a long time.

"Momo-san, take her to her room in the west end of this building, please," her grandmother asked, not even wanting to see her granddaughter.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo replied, bowing behind the shut door.

Momo got up and nodded to Luka, signaling her to just follow along. Luka walked along the hallways, still disappointed.

"Luka-sama, your things are in your room. Your school uniform will come in tomorrow, and you'll be able to start school the day after tomorrow," Momo said, not looking back.

Momo was able to sense Luka's disappointment.

"Luka-sama," Momo turned around, stopping Luka.

"What's your favorite food?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"_Tamagoyaki_," Luka replied, surprised of Momo's cheerfulness.

"Okay!" Momo exclaimed, turning back around to continue walking.

Luka followed on, still confused on why she said that.

"Here's your room, Luka-sama. I'll call you after dinner is ready," Momo said, shutting the door to give Luka some privacy.

"Thank you, Momo-chan," sighed Luka after Momo closed her door.

"I guess I need to get used to her calling me 'Luka-sama', huh?" Luka thought, smiling to the thought of Momo's smile.

She unpacked her stuff, taking her clothes out and putting them in her closet. Her floor wasn't carpeted, but was made of _tatami_ instead. Her walls were made of _tatami, _too, but it was good enough even if the color was plain light-yellow. In Luka's room, she had a futon placed in the middle, a modern study table with a bookshelf full of traditional Japanese stories, myths and legends, and a lamp.

After placing all her clothes into her closet, the last thing Luka took out from her suitcase was her parents' picture. She wiped the glass from any smudges and dirt, and placed it on her desk.

"Mom, dad, protect me, okay?" she said, smiling.

Luka went out to her own balcony to get some more fresh air. She inhaled the clean, country air, and exhaled out her doubts and uncertainties. She smiled as if she has become a new person.

Suddenly, she heard rustles from the bushes in front of her balcony.

"Who's there?" Luka said, walking quietly closer to the bushes.

"Momo-chan?" she asked, getting scared as she got closer.

Luka walked closer as she heard more rustles, and tried to find out who it was when suddenly, she saw a glimpse of long, purple hair, as the person quickly ran out of the bushes and escaped.

"Purple hair?" she thought, still surprised.

"Luka-sama?" Momo walked into Luka's room, surprising Luka.

Luka walked out the door waiting for Momo to lead her to the dining room. She didn't say anything along the way, giving Momo a clue that something was bothering her.

"Wow! This is really good!" Luka exclaimed as she took a bite of the _tamagoyaki_ Momo prepared for her first dinner in her grandmother's house.

"Thank you, Luka-sama," Momo smiled, her face turning a little red.

Luka continued eating while Momo watched her with a smile on her face. Momo still waited for Luka to say something about what was bothering her.

"Momo-chan," Luka said after sipping some water.

"Hm?" Momo said, still smiling.

"Do you know a person with a purple hair?" Luka asked, putting her chopsticks down.

Momo froze upon hearing her question. Her eyes grew, but she restored them to normal to refrain Luka from asking her questions on why she was surprised of what she asked.

Momo shook her head and faked her smile, still worried about what Luka asked.

"No, why?" Momo asked, her worry peeking.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I saw a long purple hair outside the balcony earlier. Is it another _miko_?" Luka asked, still curious about the purple-haired person she caught a glimpse of.

"P-probably," Momo said, trying to hide how fake her smile was.

"Oh, okay. Well, thank you for the food. I'm going to bed."

Luka got up and walked back to her room, disappointed that she didn't gain any information about the person with the purple hair. She walked out the balcony to look at the starry sky before she went to bed with her balcony doors open to let the autumn wind in.

* * *

"I see."

"Yes, ma'am," Momo nodded behind the slightly opened sliding door of Luka's grandmother's room.

"Never let her encounter that person again. It's forbidden for her," her fragile, yet powerful voice said.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo obediently replied.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_torii- _shrine's huge entrance gate

_chouzuya-_ a small purification hut/font where you cleanse your mouth and hands before proceeding further into the shrine

_sandou-_ a long approach/path to the sacred buildings made of concrete

_hakama-_ long, divided, red trousers worn by shrine maidens

_haori-_ a long white kimono jacket worn by shrine maidens

_miko- _a shrine maiden

_shamusho- _a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives

_tatami- _mat made of rice straws

_tamagoyaki- _omelette


	2. Chapter 2: First Day of School

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 2: First Day of School

It was the first day of school for Luka, who received her uniform yesterday. The brown bow was a perfect match with the white collared blouse along with the brown short blazer with black buttons. The brown pleated skirt that was to be worn no higher than the tip of their fingers matched the whole outfit, too.

Luka wore white knee-high socks with her brown shoes. She wore her pastel-pink hair down, and wore no other hair accessories.

"You look stunning, Luka-sama," Momo said as she brushed Luka's hair before she got ready to leave.

Luka looked at herself in the mirror, blushing from Momo's compliments.

"You look perfect, Luka-sama. I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends in school," Momo said, placing the hairbrush down on the vanity.

"Y-you think so?" Luka asked, still flustered.

"I know so!" Momo smiled, boosting up Luka's confidence.

As they walked out to the top of the shrine's long series of steps, Momo yelled out someone's name.

"Neru-chan!" yelled Momo.

"Okay, okay! No need to yell! Jeez!"

A girl with long, yellow-golden hair worn in a big, side pony tail jumped out from a tree branch and landed in front of Luka on her two feet, making some of the leaves fall to the ground.

"Neru-chan, this is Luka Megurine. Luka-sama, this is Neru Akita," Momo said, brushing some leaves off of her shoulders.

"Luka Megurine? So you're that old lady's granddaughter," Neru rudely said.

Luka just nodded for she knows that what Neru said was true.

"Nice to meet you," Luka said, holding her hand out to invite Neru for a friendly handshake.

Neru just turned around, not taking Luka's invitation and walked down the long series of stairs.

Luka looked at Momo, hoping for an explanation on why Neru doesn't like her, but Momo just shrugged her shoulders and tried to smile to ease Luka's worry.

"Hurry up! We'll be late!" yelled Neru, still walking down the stairs, not pausing to wait for Luka.

Luka bowed to Momo and Momo did the same.

"Be safe!" Momo waved Luka goodbye, who ran down the stairs to catch up with the impatient Neru.

"Wait!" Luka yelled, running down the stairs as fast as she could.

"Wait, Akita-san! Wait for—Ah!" Luka exclaimed, as she missed a step on the stairs before she reached the very bottom.

Luka closed her eyes and waited to feel the pain of a broken bone or the sound of her body crashing to the ground, crunching some dead leaves and ruining her uniform, but none of those happened.

Luka didn't hear or feel anything, except for strong arms that prevented her from falling and a strong chest.

"A man?" Luka thought.

Just before she opened her eyes, she was on the ground where the man laid her gently.

"Who…was…that?" thought Luka, speechless of what just happened.

Luka felt something odd underneath her palm. There, she found a red chopstick.

"Red…chopstick?" she asked herself, picking it up.

"Hey! Hurry up! If I get late because of you, you're dead!" Neru threatened Luka, who hurriedly got up and brushed dirt off of her, carefully placed the red chopstick in her brown bag.

When she arrived in her classroom, she caught everyone's attention. All her classmates' faces were new to her. Their stares were as sharp as a knife, making Luka gulp in nervousness.

"This is your new classmate, Luka Megurine," introduced the teacher, Tokine-sensei.

"Umm, I'm Luka Megurine. I will be in your care from now on," she bowed to her classmates, hoping to get no laughter from any of them.

"Wow, she's really pretty!''

"Her hair is so long and pretty!"

"Do you think she has a boyfriend?"

She looked up to find smiles on her classmates' faces and hearing nice comments from all the murmurings.

"Okay, okay. Be quiet everyone. Now, let's find you a place to sit in…Ah!" exclaimed Tokine-sensei.

"Sit beside the girl with the turquoise-colored hair and in front of the boy with the dark-blue hair. Shion-kun, Hatsune-san, please be nice to her," Tokine-sensei said, pointing at the empty seat between the two.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Miku Hatsune," the girl with a turquoise-colored hair worn in two pigtails said, welcoming Luka.

"I'm Kaito Shion, nice to meet you," the boy with the dark-blue hair said, stretching out his hand to shake hands with Luka.

Luka smiled at the two, relieved that she had already made new friends on her first day. After the loud bell rang for their school lunch, all of the students in Luka's class crowded around her to ask questions.

"Where are you from?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"What's your favorite sport?"

"Do you play an instrument?"

Luka couldn't answer all of them for her classmates bombarded her with questions at one time.

"Stop! Stop! She can't answer all of you at one time!" Miku yelled, making everyone quiet down.

"Now, if you all have a question about her, ask her later on her free time. Right now, I have to show her around the school," Miku said, gently grabbing Luka's wrist.

"But—"

"Come on, Megurine-san," Miku said, pulling her out of the classroom in a hurry.

The class was left behind, disappointed that they didn't get to talk to the new girl.

"Umm, Hatsune-san, I already had the tour around the school," said Luka, slowing Miku's pace down.

Miku didn't stop walking, but talked to Luka without looking back.

"I know, I know. It's just that I can tell you were having a hard time when they were just shoving questions to your face," Miku said.

"Tadah!" exclaimed Miku, not letting Luka reply to what she said.

"This is the rooftop. This is where Kaito-kun, Len-kun, Rin-chan and I eat for lunch, but all of them had detention, so we'll be eating alone."

Miku let go of Luka's wrist, letting her roam around the rooftop to observe the view from the top of the building.

"Wow!" Luka exclaimed, seeing the snow-covered mountain tops, the almost-bald autumn trees, and feeling the cold breeze.

"Come, let's eat," Miku invited, taking out her _bento._

Luka took out her own _bento_ that Momo made for her that morning before she met Neru. It was _tamagoyaki_ again, but she included delicious-looking _onigiri._

"Wow! Who made them for you?" Miku asked, surprised of how elegant-looking _bento_ Luka brought.

"Momo-chan made it for me. You can have some if you'd like," Luka smiled, sharing her food with Miku.

"Wow! You're lucky to have her, Megurine-san!" Miku exclaimed, taking a bite of _onigiri_.

"I-it's fine if you c-call me 'Luka'. I don't mind," Luka said, blushing.

"Really? Well then, you can call me Miku," Miku smiled, sharing also some of her food with Luka.

After eating their lunch while getting to know more about each other, they packed up and got ready to go back to class. Suddenly, the red chopstick Luka picked up from when she fell down the stairs fell out of her bag. Miku looked at it in surprise as she heard it fall on the floor.

"Where did you get this?" Miku asked, picking up the red chopstick.

"Oh, that? I got it from the bottom of the stairs in the shrine after I fell down," Luka explained, taking the chopstick from Miku.

"Oh, okay."

Out of the blue, the cheerful Miku turned into a quiet one, making Luka wonder about what she had done or said to Miku that quieted the energetic Miku.

They walked back to class in silence, not saying a word to either one.

* * *

"Tell Miku-san to do her best," Luka's grandmother said to Momo.

"Yes, ma'am," replied Momo behind the barely open sliding door of Luka's grandmother's room.

"Make sure they never meet."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_bento-_ homemade lunch box

_tamagoyaki- _omelette

_onigiri__-_ rice balls


	3. Chapter 3: Bento

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 3: _Bento_

"Luka-chan, I'll go with you," Miku said, running to Luka.

Miku didn't have any after-school activites, giving her the opportunity to take Luka home.

"Are you sure? You do know we have to walk up those stairs, right?" Luka asked, stating the fact.

"Well, I have to visit the shrine, anyways."

Luka agreed, and the two went on their way to the Amane shrine. Neru, who saw the two walk home together, was relieved that she didn't have to take Luka home and went the other direction.

"What do you think about our school so far?" asked Miku, walking backwards to look at Luka's face.

"It's actually quite fun. The people are really friendly," she said, smiling, the sunset's rays shining on her beautiful face.

"That's good," Miku replied, walking back to normal.

The two walked in silence, only hearing the autumn wind blow by. It wasn't an awkward silence though.

When they reached the _torii_, Miku turned around and stopped Luka from stepping any further.

"I have an idea!" Miku exclaimed.

Luka was surprised that the cheerful girl was back again. Earlier, it scared her how Miku became so quiet all of a sudden after she saw the chopstick Luka picked up.

"The last one to reach the top of the stairs must make a _bento_ for all of us tomorrow," Miku explained, stretching her hands out to draw an imaginary circle, indicating that the person who loses must make a huge _bento_.

"But—"

"Go!" Miku shouted, getting a head start.

Luka had no choice, but to run, too. She wanted to taste Miku's _bento_, so she tried her best. Luka ran up with a smile, the wind blowing on her face. She looked at Miku who was getting closer and closer to the top of the stairs. Luka ran faster to be able to catch up to the hyper turquoise-haired girl. Miku ran faster, and in a couple of seconds, she finally reached the stairs.

"Winner!" Miku said, jumping up and down.

The exhausted Luka reached the stairs, gasping for air.

"Yay! I get to eat Luka-chan's delicious food!" Miku exclaimed, smiling wide.

"You're…really…fast…How…could you…do that?" Luka asked, pausing between words to inhale more air.

Miku laughed and Luka was able to recover.

"Don't forget to make five _bentos_, okay?" Miku said, winking.

"Five?"

"Yeah. One for you, me, Kaito-kun, and the twins," Miku nodded.

"Twins?"

"You haven't met them because the boy had to go to a different class and had lunch detention and his twin sister hasn't come to school lately, so they couldn't eat lunch with us earlier."

"Oh okay," Luka said, learning something new.

After they had enough rest, the two proceeded to the _shamusho _where Luka's grandmother was. Momo was nowhere to be seen, though, so the two continued to go inside where Luka's grandmother was.

"Who's there?" Luka's grandmother said.

"Grandma—"

"Luka? Is that you?" asked her grandmother.

"Yes ma'—"

"Who's with you?"

"It's me, Amane-sama," Miku said, kneeling on the floor to bow.

"Luka, wait outside for I need to have a private talk with Miku-san," Luka's grandmother said, driving Luka away.

"But—"

"Now!"

She directly ordered Luka, and her voice's intimidation made Luka walk out.

As Luka moved out of the _shamusho_ and stayed outside, she noticed a blonde-haired head in the bushes. She slowly walked to the bright-colored head, not making any sounds. The head turned around and Luka saw the blonde _bishounen_'s face.

"Who are you?" the blonde said, jumping out of the almost-dead bushes.

"Who are you first?" Luka asked, stepping back for defense.

"If you don't tell me who you are, I'm going to report you to Amane-sama!" threatened the _bishounen_.

"No need. My grandma doesn't want to see me, anyways," Luka replied, feeling down, remembering her grandmother's strict instructions.

"Grandma? Amane-sama is your grandmother?" he asked, walking towards Luka to take a better look at the pink-headed girl who was taller than him.

Luka nodded to answer his question, still looking down in disappointment.

"So, you're Luka Megurine?" asked the boy, stepping back away from her.

"How did you know?"

"My friend told me."

"Oh, okay."

"I'm Len Kagamine," the boy said, extending his hand to shake Luka's.

Luka and Len shook each other's hand, apologizing about what had happened earlier.

"Sorry to scare you," Len apologized, looking into Luka's aquamarine eyes.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault," Luka showed a hint of her smile, making Len's heart throb just for a short time.

"Len!" yelled a voice from afar, interrupting their moment.

"I'm coming!" yelled Len, annoyed.

"Well, I have to go. I'll see you around in school," Len said, running back to where the voice came from.

Luka waved goodbye and after the _bishounen_'s figure was no longer in sight, Miku walked outside of the _shamusho_.

"Who were you talking to?" Miku asked, walking closer to Luka.

"Oh, someone I just met," Luka said, faking her smile, still a little upset that she hasn't seen her grandmother.

"Well, I have to go. My parents are coming home soon. I'll see you in school," Miku said, running towards the stairs.

"Bye, Miku!" Luka yelled, waving goodbye.

She went to her room and took out the chopstick from her bag.

"I wonder whose this is," she thought, examining the red stick.

Without knowing, Luka fell asleep with an empty stomach. She fell asleep with her head on the table and with her right hand holding onto the red chopstick.

"…ka-sama…Luka-sama…"

Luka lifted her head and eyelids up to find Momo waiting for her to get up.

"Hm? Momo-chan? It's too early. Why are you waking me up?" Luka said, still half asleep.

"Well, Miku-san told me that you'll be preparing five _bentos _today, so I wanted to help you," Momo said, showing her some of the _bento _boxes in different colors.

"Right!" Luka exclaimed, quickly getting up and fixing herself.

Luka, being an amateur when it comes to cooking, only cooked the simplest food she can make. First, she cooked the sticky rice for the _onigiri_ with the help of Momo. After that, she made _takoyaki _and her favorite, _tamagoyaki._

After Luka remembered how Miku liked the taste of Momo's _tamagoyaki,_ she got worried that the food she made might not taste good enough.

"It'll be fine, Luka-sama. It taste good, actually," Momo comforted, helping Luka clean up.

"You think so?" Luka asked, wiping the table.

"I know so."

Luka was a little relieved by Momo's words, but she still had a tiny bit of worry in her. After cleaning up, Luka went to school with the _bentos_.

During lunch, Miku's most awaited moment finally came.

"Wait, we're waiting for some people," Miku said, waiting for the door to open.

Someone opened the door and Luka realized that it was the _bishounen_ she met yesterday.

"Kagamine-kun?" she exclaimed, pointing directly at him, almost dropping the _bentos._

"I'm ready to taste your _bentos_, Megurine-san," Len said, sitting down to get ready to eat Luka's homemade food.

When they opened the containers at the same time, the turquoise-haired girl and the _bishounen _hungrily took the food with their chopsticks.

"This is amazing, Megurine-san!" Len said, stuffing his mouth with _takoyaki_s.

"T-thanks," Luka turned raid, flustered.

The three enjoyed eating under the autumn sky with the view being amazing. The wind blew a few times, but this didn't stop them from having fun while eating Luka's delicious homemade food.

After the three finished eating and the loud school bell had rung, Luka and Miku separated from Len to go to class.

"Wait!" Len said, making the two girls turn around.

"Megurine-san, you'll make food for me from now on, okay?" Len said, winking.

Luka was flustered as she heard what the _bishounen_ had said. She tried to reply to him, but she didn't have the chance to for he ran to his classroom to escape anymore yelling about how rude it was from Miku.

Miku looked at Luka whose cheeks were bright red. Miku was worried, yet smiled in relief.

The two girls continued walking to their classroom with their stomachs full of good food.

* * *

"He's doing his job, ma'am," Miku said, sitting beside Momo in front of Luka's grandmother's door.

"Is he?" the old woman asked.

"Yes ma'am," Miku replied.

"Tell him to keep it up. I need his help."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_bento- _homemade lunch box

_torii-_ shrine's huge entrance gate

_shamusho-_ a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives

_bishounen-_ pretty boy

_onigiri- _rice balls

_takoyaki-_ grilled octopus

_tamagoyaki-_ omelette


	4. Chapter 4: The Passed Note

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 4: The Passed Note

"Good morning, Momo-chan!" Luka greeted as she entered the kitchen to see Momo preparing her _bento_.

When Luka saw the delicious _bento_ Momo was preparing, she remembered what happened two weeks ago when Len asked her to make his _bento_ from then on. Luka and Momo made a deal that Luka will make the _bento _for Len without any help from Momo while she makes Luka's _bento_. They decided on this deal because Luka doesn't have enough time to make two _bentos_ in the mornings.

Luka, still an amateur when it comes to cooking, never changed the simple food she made for Len's _bento._ Len thought the food was very simple, yet really good. He didn't complain that he had to eat the same food every day.

"Here you go," Momo said, handing Luka her own _bento._

"Thank you, Momo-chan," Luka smiled, carrying her pink _bento_ case with her right hand and Len's with her left.

Momo waved goodbye as she watched Luka walked down the long series of steps.

Luka got used to her peaceful surroundings. She got used to the birds' chirping, the wind's howling and the crunching noises she hears whenever she steps on a dead leaf.

Winter was coming and the air got chillier and chillier each and every day. Their winter uniform with its long sleeves was good enough, but Luka knew that when the temperature gets colder, she will need more than what she had on.

"So it's colder in the country during this season, huh," Luka thought, shivering as the wind swiftly passed by.

Before she crossed the bridge to get to school, she found Len waiting for her under a tree with barely any leaves.

"Kagamine-kun!" Luka greeted, rushing to him.

Len turned to look at Luka's beautiful face. As he stared at her aquamarine eyes, he found himself blushing, turning his head away to another direction so she wouldn't see his red face.

"L-let's go," Len said, walking to the bridge.

Luka followed him from behind, blushing and holding onto the _bentos _as tight as she could to prevent herself from embarrassment.

"Len!" a girl said as Luka and Len reached the school's gate.

"What are you doing here?" Len yelled in frustration.

"I'm going back to school," the girl replied.

"No, you're not!"

"Who is she?" the girl asked, looking over Len's shoulder to look at Luka.

"She's just a friend," Len replied, blocking the girl's view of Luka.

The girl pushed Len away and moved towards the pink-haired girl. She examined Luka as if she was a species that had just been discovered.

"Hmm…" she said, touching Luka's hair.

"Come here," the girl said, motioning Luka to come closer to her.

Luka bent her knees a little lower so that she was almost the same height as the girl's.

"Stay away if you want to keep your beautiful face," she whispered, scaring the life out of Luka.

"Bye!" the girl smiled as if she had not said anything to scare Luka.

The girl waved goodbye to Len and Luka, running towards another building in their school. Len watched her run, annoyed that he had to talk to her. When he turned to Luka, he found her frozen, her eyes showing terror.

"What's wrong? Did she tell you anything?" Len asked, concerned.

Luka shook her head, returning back to her normal self, but still faking her smile. Len knew her hiding the fear she feels, but decided to keep on walking anyways.

Luka sat down calmly, not worrying about what the blonde girl had said. When she thought about the girl's appearance, she realized that the girl and Len somewhat looked alike.

Luka decided to get up and ask Len, but it was too late for the teacher made her way in and everybody sat down on their assigned seats.

"Everyone, if you have not heard, we have a returning student," Tokine-sensei said, fixing her eyeglasses while giving her students some time to murmur.

"Come on in," she ordered, looking to her left.

The door opened slowly and everyone waited for the person to get to the middle of the front of the room. Luka, who regained her calm earlier before the teacher came, became anxious once more. She looked at the girl and realized that it was the blonde-haired from earlier.

"As you all know, this is Rin Kagamine, Len Kagamine's twin sister. Due to some health conditions, she had to stay home after a month of being in school," Tokine-sensei explained, putting her hand on the cheerful Rin's petite shoulder.

Rin bent down for 3 seconds and bowed, but when she stood back up, she gave Luka a stare that sent chills down her back. Luka's anxiety came back, but this time, it hit her stronger.

"Rin-san, you may sit beside Luka-san. She's new here and I think both of you will get along," Tokine-sensei instructed.

"No!"

Everyone in the room turned their heads to Luka, who stood up to protest the teacher's decision to place Rin beside her.

"What seems to be wrong, Luka-san? Do you not want Rin-san to sit beside you?" the teacher asked.

"No, it's just that—"

"Well then, Rin-san, go ahead and sit beside Luka-san."

Luka had no choice but to sit down and be quiet. Her senses were telling her that she shouldn't be close to Rin.

"Hi! I'm Rin! Nice to meet you!" smiled Rin, shaking Luka's hand.

"She's probably not that bad after all," Luka thought, smiling back.

"L-Luka Megurine," she smiled, shaking Rin's hand, still quite nervous.

The two sat down at the same time and the class went along with their everyday routine. Luka and Rin quietly paid attention to their teacher and was able to follow along with the new lessons they were being taught. Luka was finally feeling at ease when suddenly, Rin passed her a written note.

"You better get away from Len or I'll severely tear your pretty face apart," Luka read in her mind, surprised of the turn of events.

Luka was sure that the blonde girl was friendly to her just now, but it didn't last long. Luka kept on looking down on her desk for she could no longer pay attention to the teacher due to Rin's threat.

Rin took a small glance at the terrified Luka and smiled like she had accomplished something no one has ever done.

The bell's loud noise rung all over the school and Luka ran out of the classroom, tears streaming down her face. She left all her things in the room including the _bento_ she made for had paid attention to the crying Luka for they all flew to Rin with her innocent smile.

Len watched Luka hurriedly run out the door, and tried to catch her, but he knew he was too late. Instead, he walked to her seat and found the crumpled-up note and teardrops on the smooth, brown desk.

Len picked up the note and uncrumpled it, reading the horrifying note that sent Luka in tears and Len in anger. He approached Rin who was surrounded by their classmates and tightly grabbed her skinny arm. He pulled her out the door with no delicacy.

"Ouch! You're hurting me, Len!" Rin exclaimed.

Len ignored her and kept on walking out to the rooftop.

"Let go! Let go of me!" Rin said, trying to pull her aching arm from Len's mighty grip.

"Go home!" Len yelled, pointing to the direction of their home.

"But—"

"I said…go…home!" Len said, pronouncing every word crystal clear.

Rin looked down on her feet while holding onto her arm, thinking of something to say.

"_Baka!"_ she yelled, running out the door with tears down her rosy cheeks.

Len looked disappointed of what he had done to his own sister.

"What I did was right…wasn't it?" he thought, looking out to the scenery in front of him with the autumn breeze blowing his shaggy, blonde hair.

* * *

"I'm really sorry!" Rin said, bowing to Luka's grandmother from behind the still-shut sliding door.

"You have to watch every action you make, Rin-san. Stop acting like a child and grow up," Luka's grandmother lectured her.

"But—"

"Your stupidity is unnecessary here, Rin-san," interrupted Luka's grandmother.

"Yes, ma'am," Rin replied, depressed that she had been lectured once again.

"Stop interfering with what is fated to happen."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_bento-_ homemade lunch box**  
**

_baka-_ stupid/fool


	5. Chapter 5: Progressing Friendship

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 5: Progressing Friendship

Luka ran out to the school's courtyard, tears streaming down her face. She was confused for she knew that she had done nothing that would make anybody upset. She ran as fast as she could, barely looking at where she was going. The only thing that stopped her was Miku as she ran onto her causing both of them to fall.

"Luka-chan?" Miku said as she looked at the pink-haired girl's face.

"Miku?"

As soon as she realized it really was Miku, she hugged her tight and cried her heart out. Miku was surprised to see Luka crying, her eyes widening. Miku patted her head, helping her calm down.

Miku and Kaito helped Luka up and the three continued walking in the courtyard to sit on the benches.

"Where were you?" asked Luka, wiping her tears.

"We were late," Miku said, fixing Luka's hair.

"I'm sorry, Megurine-san," Kaito said, putting his bag down.

"What happened?" worried Miku.

Luka explained about how she met Rin in front of the gate earlier that morning and how she passed her a threatening note.

"I don't get it! I didn't do anything to make Kagamine-kun's sister hate me!" Luka said, trying not to cry again.

"Luka-chan, you must understand that Rin-chan is very close to her twin brother. She was probably threatened when she saw you with Len-kun," Miku explained, patting Luka's shoulder once more.

"But, why would she feel threatened?" Luka asked, still confused.

"Because you're beautiful, Luka-chan," smiled Miku.

"Now, let's go back to class and forget everything that happened. I promise that tomorrow, it will all get better. Rin-chan, Len-kun, Kaito-kun, and I have been friends since we were little. We all know Rin-chan and I'm sure she will stop making you feel bad. She's a good girl after all, okay?" Miku comfortingly said, showing Luka her kindest smile.

"Okay, I trust you," Luka said, smiling back.

The three returned to their classroom where they found out that the twins had to leave early. Luka felt a little relief, but was worried that she might've been the cause of Len's leaving, too.

A few hours later, the bell rang and the day was finally over. Luka, Miku, and Kaito were the last ones in the room to leave. Before Luka left the room, she looked at Len's empty seat, realizing that she needed to apologize for overreacting too much.

Miku and Kaito walked to the shrine with Luka to visit her grandmother. Luka's silence on their way to the shrine indicated that Miku and Kaito shouldn't say anything to disturb her. They knew that she needed time to think, so they just walked in silence as the sun started setting.

When the three arrived at the shrine's _shamusho, _they found Rin kneeling down on the living room floor beside Momo.

"_Okaerinasai, _Luka-sama," Momo said, standing up after bowing to her.

"W-why are you here?" Luka asked, looking at Rin without paying any attention to Momo.

Miku and Kaito nervously looked at each other, worried of what can happen between Luka and Rin.

"Luka-sama, Rin-san came here to talk to you," Momo said, assisting Luka to kneel down in front of Rin.

Momo was able to sense Luka's fear due to her shaking hands.

Suddenly, Rin bowed the most formal bow to Luka, surprising her.

"I'm very sorry for the troubles I've caused you, Megurine-san," she said, keeping her form.

Unexpectedly, Luka did the same, surprising not only Rin, but Miku, Kaito and Momo, too.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have overreacted. I realized in some way, I have threatened your relationship with your twin brother, so please forgive me and accept my apology!" Luka said, awing Rin.

"If you accept mine…I'll accept yours," Rin said, smiling.

Luka turned to Rin and cheerfully smiled. The two shook hands, ending their problems with each other. Miku and Kaito were relieved that the two had made up, returning back to their merry selves.

"Now that everyone's friends, let's all eat dinner. I made _ebi furai, sukiyaki, _and _mochi_ for dinner," Momo said, making everyone's mouths watery just from thinking about the delicious food she made.

All of them ate the savory dinner Momo had prepared, not leaving any leftovers. While eating, they learned more about each other and realizing that each of them had something in common which was singing. All four of them loved to sing. They all agreed that one of these days, all of them will sing a song for each other.

During the process of learning more about each other, Luka and Rin's friendship were progressing without their knowing. They even hatched a plan to prank Len the next day in school. It was surprising that Luka and Rin became really good friends in just one day.

After they finished eating dinner, they all said their goodbyes and went to their own separate ways to their homes.

Momo and Luka headed straight to bed as soon as they returned back inside, exhausted from all the happenings that day.

The next day, Luka met Rin at the bottom of the shrine's stairs, discussing the prank they will pull on Len.

"I got it," Luka said, after Rin elaborated on the plan.

"Then, I'll be going ahead, okay?" Rin said, whispering to Luka as if their life depended on this plan.

Luka nodded and watched Rin run to the bridge as fast as she could. A couple of minutes later, Luka found Len who was calmly walking to the bridge.

"Kagamine-kun!" Luka yelled, waving at Len.

"Megurine-san?" Len asked, not believing that Luka was cheerful despite of everything that his twin sister had done to her yesterday.

"Kagamine-kun, let's go?" Luka asked, interlocking her arms with Len's.

"W-wait—" Len said, stopping Luka from walking farther ahead while their arms were entwined together.

"What?" Luka lively asked, smiling her most irresistible smile.

"N-nothing," Len said, blushing.

"It's going good," Luka thought, seeing Len's rosy cheeks.

She, too, was blushing without her knowing. Her cheeks were just as red as Len's. They kept on walking with arms interlocked with each other's.

"_Yosh! _I got this!" Luka thought as soon as she saw the signal that she and Rin decided to use.

Luka took a deep breath and cuddled closer to Len, warming his and her body up and making her heartbeat pound harder and faster.

"K-Kagamine-kun, i-is this w-warming you up?" she nervously asked.

Len quickly nodded, hiding his reddened face.

"Oh no! What am I going to do? My heart's beating too fast," Luka thought, embarrassed and nervous while clinging onto Len.

"Len!"

"Rin!" Luka thought, alleviated that she came.

"What is this?" yelled Rin, scaring Luka.

"Kagamine-san, I—"

"Let go of him!" roared Rin, lightly slapping Luka's arm away from Len.

"Hey! Stop it, Rin! Go home!" instructed Len, taking Luka's side.

"You…it's all your fault!" Rin shouted, rushing to Luka.

Rin and Luka put up a fake fight with Luka losing and getting hurt. Len tried stopping Rin, but it was no use. Suddenly, Luka dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Megurine-san?" Len kneeled to check on Luka, panicking.

"Megurine-san, wake up!" he said, shaking her body.

"Rin! Look what you did!" he roared, lifting Luka's head and putting it close to his chest.

Out of nowhere, Rin started laughing out loud, surprising Len.

"This isn't the time to be laughing, Rin!" shouted Len.

Suddenly, Luka opened her eyes and laughed with Rin, gradually sitting up and holding her stomach.

"You should've seen your face, Len!" Rin giggled.

"I-I'm sorry, Kagamine-kun, but it was all part of a joke," explained Luka, still chuckling.

The two girls high-fived each other, walking away from the still confused Len.

"What…just…happened?" Len said, still puzzled as he watched the two girls walk into the school together.

* * *

"That's good," Luka's grandmother said from the other side of the always-shut sliding door.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo said, kneeling in front of the door.

"There should be no more hindrance and problems before her Providence, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Momo obediently replied.

"Keep him away."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_shamusho- _a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives**  
**

_okaerinasai- _a formal phrase meaning "welcome home/back"

_ebi furai-_ fried prawn

_sukiyaki-_ hot pot dish consists of thinly-sliced meat, vegetables and other ingredients simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin in a shallow iron pot.

_mochi-_ cake made from glutinous rice

_yosh- _a word used for motivation. e.g. "Let's go!"/ "I got this!"/ "I can do this!"/ "Come on!"


	6. Chapter 6: Growing Feelings

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 6: Growing Feelings

"Good morning, Miku-chan!" exclaimed Rin, walking in the classroom with Luka.

"Did the plan work?" Miku excitedly asked Luka.

"Kagamine-kun's face was the most hilarious thing I've seen so far!" Luka laughed.

Len came in with no smile on his face, exhausted of what had just happened. Nobody paid attention to him as he sat down on his seat. As soon as Rin noticed her twin brother, she quickly approached him with Luka following her.

"That was hilarious, Len!" Rin exclaimed.

"You should've seen your—"

"That wasn't funny!" Len put his hand on his desk, interrupting Rin's sentence with a loud bang.

Everyone got quiet, waiting for someone to break the silence.

"But it was just a jo—"

"I don't care! I don't care if it was just a joke! That wasn't funny!" Len roared, scaring Rin and Luka.

"I'm sor—"

"You should be!" Len yelled once again, making Rin move back and cower beside Luka.

Len walked out the classroom, not caring that the bell's going to ring in a few minutes. Everybody in the room watched his foot land on the floor, hearing his footsteps as he walked out.

Luka helped the shocked Rin sit down, rubbing her back to make her feel better.

"Rin, I'm sorry. It was all my—"

"Don't worry. I'm fine," Rin interrupted, showing Luka a fake smile.

Luka was worried of what's going to happen to the twins as she felt and noticed Rin's uneasiness. She sat down on her seat, thinking of what to do to fix this problem.

"It's study hall for the rest of the day. Tokine-sensei won't be coming," the class president announced, making everyone groan in disappointment.

The whole room was quiet as they sat down, reading their textbook. The class president sat down on their teacher's desk, showing everyone that she was in charge for the whole day. Not a single word was passed to one another, not breaking the continued silence.

Luka looked over to her right side to check on Rin. Her facial expression changed as soon as she saw Rin's rolling tears.

"Rin," she whispered.

Rin looked at Luka, wiping some of her tears away. Rin tried to stop crying but it didn't work. She looked at Luka's face which was full of sadness and worry. Rin couldn't bear to look at her new friend's worried face, so she got up and ran away to the rooftop.

"Wait!" Luka got up and tried to stop her, but it didn't work.

Everyone watched as Luka scurried out of the room to chase Rin.

Miku looked at Kaito as they both got up and walk out the room.

"Kaito-kun, let's go find Len-kun," Miku determinedly told her blue-haired companion.

"But what about Rin and Megurine-san?"

"They'll be fine, trust me. Let's go," Miku said, running out to the courtyard.

* * *

"Rin!" Luka shouted as she reached the rooftop where she found Rin sitting down on the bench near the table for six.

"Luka-chan?"

"Rin, I'm sorry. It was all my fault," Luka said, running to Rin's side.

"Don't blame yourself, Luka-chan. It was my idea, so it was my fault," Rin smiled, tears running down her face.

"But—"

"Don't worry. It's always been like this between Len and I. We fight and argue a lot. You can even ask Miku-chan and Kaito-kun. They'll tell you the same thing. I'm used to it," Rin narrated, looking at the autumn sky as she felt the breeze pass by.

"I'll do something about this!"

"What?" asked Rin, confused.

"I'll fix it. I'll make sure you and Kagamine-kun don't ever fight again," Luka confidently declared.

* * *

"Len-kun!" Miku shouted as she and Kaito approached Len.

"What's going on?" Miku worriedly asked.

"Nothing, okay. No need to worry," Len said, annoyed.

"Yes, there is a need to worry. You're not like your usual self, Len," Kaito stated.

"It's always like this, remember? Rin and I? We always have arguments, so what's the point in worrying now?" Len growled, getting more and more frustrated.

"She's here, that's why!"

Len looked at the furious Miku with her two pigtails.

"If your changing has something to do with Luka-chan's being here, then you better fix it because I know for sure that Amane-sama wouldn't want to hear about this!" Miku exploded and couldn't contain her anger anymore.

"This was not part of Amane-sama's plan. Remember that," Miku muttered to herself as she walked away, leaving the two boys out in the courtyard.

"Len, what's gotten into you?" asked Kaito, worried about the _bishounen._

"I don't know! It's just that Amane-sama's task for me is too complicated!" Len complained.

"Why?"

"Amane-sama ordered me to make Megurine-san fall in love with me…but…it seems hopeless," Len said, looking down on the ground.

"Why?" Kaito asked.

"Because…it's me that's falling for her."

* * *

"How are you going to do that?" Rin asked, curious of how Luka's going to fix the twins' relationship.

"Trust me, I got this." Luka confidently smiled.

"Promise me this," Rin asked.

"Hm?"

"Promise me…that no matter what happens…you'll follow your heart, okay?" asked Rin, holding her pinky finger out.

"Promise," Luka smiled, interlocking her pinky finger with Rin's pinky finger as a symbol to keep their promises.

The two girls giggled as they decided to skip the rest of the school day and just take a nap under the autumn sky instead of returning back to the study hall.

* * *

"Tell Len-san to give it all he can," ordered Luka's grandmother.

"We all have to make sacrifices for the Providence. I know you and your sister did, too," Luka's grandmother narrated to Momo, who was carefully listening to her.

Momo viewed some flashbacks that rapidly flew by in her mind. They were memories that she did not want to contain in her mind, but must be remembered whether she and her sister like it or not.

"That's why we must not disarray the Providence," Amane-sama stated from behind the always-shut sliding doors.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo obediently replied.

"The Providence is eminent to her."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_bishounen- _pretty boy


	7. Chapter 7: The Heartbreaking Melody

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 7: The Heartbreaking Melody

As soon as school was over, Luka asked Miku and Kaito to go home with Rin while she walks home with Len so she can talk to him about the twins' problem. Miku and Kaito agreed and went home with Rin, not telling her that Luka will talk to her brother.

"Kagamine-kun," called Luka, running a little faster to catch up with him.

"Is it okay if I walk home with you?" she asked, a little shy.

Len nodded, not saying anything to her. He walked a little slower match Luka's pace. Luka walked along with him, not saying a word.

"So…uh…what are you doing this winter break?" asked Luka, trying to liven up the mood between her and Len.

"I don't know."

"I heard that you, Miku, Shion-kun, and Rin are going to the _onsen _in the next village for winter break."

"It's just the three of them now."

"Why?"

"I'm not going."

"Why not?"

Len stopped walking, making Luka feel scared that she might've said something that upset him.

"I have other things to do," replied Len, walking again.

"Like?"

Len did not say a word and just kept on walking.

"I-I'm going!" Luka loudly said, stopping herself from walking.

Len stopped walking, too. He turned around to look at Luka, who was a little far back due to her stopping.

"Are you?" Len calmly said.

Luka nodded, walking a little closer to him. Len turned back around and started walking again.

"Kagamine-kun," Luka called, grabbing his hand.

Len started blushing, turning around to look at Luka once again.

"I don't know what happened in the past between you and Rin, but please, I want both of you to get along once again. I don't know how it was between you, Rin, Miku and Shion-kun in the past, but I know that all of you get along. If it's my fault that your relationship with each other is getting ruined, then I'll just get out of your way. I'll go back to my old home and never return a—"

"No!" interrupted Len.

"It's not your fault. It's not your fault that Rin and I aren't getting along. Yes, I admit it. Rin and I aren't getting along, but that's not your fault at all. So please…stay here."

Luka was surprised of what Len blurted out, letting go of his hand. She thought of something to say before she opened her mouth and let words come out.

"Then bring back the old days between all four of you," Luka confidently said, not pausing.

Len looked at Luka's aquamarine eyes, realizing that she was serious about what she had just said.

"If you don't want me to leave…bring back the old days between all four of you."

"But—"

"Please…I'm begging you."

"Fine," Len sighed, realizing that since he doesn't want her to leave, he'll have to try his best to bring back how the past was.

Luka smiled and kept on walking to the bridge where she and Len will separate. As they reached the bridge, Luka thought of something that made her blush, yet show a little smile.

When Len turned the other way to separate from Luka to go home, he waved goodbye, not showing even a friendly smile.

"Umm," Luka said, stopping him from walking any further.

"Y-you can call me…L-Luka…from now on," Luka said, her fair cheeks turning bright red.

"L-Len's okay," Len replied, not turning around so his blushing face wouldn't be visible to Luka.

"O-okay. I'll see you tomorrow," Luka exclaimed, smiling.

She walked to the shrine with a big smile on her still-blushing face. Luka was so happy that she started humming a tune she made up in her mind. She even started skipping as soon as she was able to match her steps with the tune she was humming.

Suddenly, Luka stopped her skipping, hearing a heartbreaking melody in the forest full of trees with dead, brown leaves.

_Kabosoi hi ga kokoro no hashi ni tomoru_

_Itsu no ma ni ka moehirogaru netsujou_

_Watashi no chou fukisoku ni tobimawari_

_Anato ne te ni rinpun o tsuketa_

"This song…why is it so…" Luka thought, hypnotized by the moving melody.

"Luka-sama?" yelled Momo from the top of the stairs, interrupting Luka's thought.

"Momo-chan?"

"Luka-sama? Where are you? It's getting dark," Momo kept on yelling.

"I'm coming," Luka yelled back.

She rushed to the stairs to reach the top. Luka and Momo went in to the _shamusho_ and ate dinner together. Luka told Momo about the fight between the twins, including her solution.

"So, I told Len-kun that if he doesn't get along with Rin, then I'll stay here in the shrine or return back to where I came from," Luka explained, drinking some of the tea Momo made.

"Len-kun? You're getting closer to him, aren't you, Luka-sama?" teased Momo, repeating the way Luka called Len.

"W-well, isn't that what friends call each other. He calls me L-Luka now, too, so aren't we even?" Luka protested, blushing again.

"Whatever you say, Luka-sama," giggled Momo, causing Luka to blush more.

"Momo!"

"Okay, okay. I'll prepare your bath, Luka-sama," Momo smiled, cleaning the table up.

Luka sighed and looked out the window to see the pale moon shining bright. Luka thought about the melody she had heard. She didn't tell Momo about that, making her feel a little bad about herself.

After Momo prepared Luka's warm, steamy bath, she stepped out to give Luka her privacy.

"I'll prepare your pajamas, okay, Luka-sama?" Momo asked.

"Okay, thanks, Momo-chan," Luka replied, closing the bathroom door.

Luka dropped the white towel that covered her curvy figure and stepped into the tub and sat down. The water overflowed, making some splashes on the floor. Luka took a deep breath, feeling the warm water that thawed her cold body.

As Luka started getting cozier and cozier, she didn't realize that she was humming the melody she had heard in the woods earlier. Before she even knew it, she was singing the continuation of the song she felt like she's heard before, but never really knew.

_Karamiau yubi hodoite_

_Kuchibiru kara shita e to_

_Yurusarenai koto naraba_

_Naosara moeagaru no_

Before she started singing the next words, Luka saw a vision of blue eyes in her mind that seemed like they were watching her every move, making her gasp for air as she sat up higher in fright. Luka realized that she was slipping down the tub, almost getting water into her nose that could drown her.

"Whose eyes…were they?" thought Luka, still panting; her eyes still widely open from shock and anxiety.

* * *

"I see," Luka's grandmother calmly said.

"See to it that she never sings that song again, understood?" Luka's grandmother ordered after pausing to think.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo obediently replied.

"Since the Providence is getting closer and closer," Luka's grandmother paused.

"He's getting closer, too."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_onsen- _hot spring

_shamusho- _a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives

_Kabosoi hi ga kokoro no...-_ lyrics to the first verse of the song "Magnet" which is a song that can be sung by any Vocaloid pairing

_Karamiau yubi hodoite...- _lyrics to the second verse of the song "Magnet" which is a song that can be sung by any Vocaloid pairing


	8. Chapter 8: Under the Falling Snow

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 8: Under the Falling Snow

Luka twisted and turned on her futon, trying to get some sleep. After the vision she saw when she was taking a bath, Luka was scared to close her eyes once again.

"Whose were they?" she thought, remembering the azure eyes that popped up in her mind.

As she looked at the bright moon, she found herself sleepier and sleepier, finally falling asleep.

The next day, Luka walked to school alone with dark circles under her eyes. As soon as she arrived to her classroom, she sat down and placed her head down on her desk.

"What's wrong, Luka-chan?" Rin asked, walking in with Len.

"Oh, nothing, Rin-chan!" Luka exclaimed, looking up to show them her fake smile.

Rin knew something was up, but ignored it to avoid upsetting the pink-haired girl with bags under her eyes.

Luka placed her head down on her desk once again, trying to catch a quick nap. As she was about to close her eyes, the teacher came in and greeted everyone.

Luka sat up, her head bobbing around due to her drowsiness.

"As you all know, tomorrow is the start of winter break. We will all have 3 weeks for our break. For those who have missing assignments, today is a work day for you, but for those who don't, today is your free time," smiled Tokine-sensei, placing her books down.

With a huge trust on them, Tokine-sensei walked out of the room to the teachers' lounge and left the class.

"Miku, Kaito, Rin, Luka, wanna go to the rooftop?" asked Len, picking up his backpack.

"Let's go!" Luka enthusiastically said, hurriedly standing up.

The rest followed Luka, who was the very first one to walk out. Kaito looked at Miku to find an answer onto why Luka was acting strangely, but she just shrugged for an answer.

When they opened the door to the rooftop, a rapid wind passed by, sending chills down their bodies. However, they didn't back out. They would rather sit out in the cold than stay inside their classroom. Luka ran to the bench and used her backpack as a pillow.

"Luka-chan, don't sleep here. You'll catch a cold," Miku warned, sitting her up.

"But I'm too sleepy," yawned Luka.

"Didn't you sleep last night?" asked Kaito, sitting down on a chair.

Luka shook her head and scrubbed her eyes, trying to keep them open.

"Why not?" concernedly asked Len.

"Well, something strange popped up in my mind last night," Luka confessed, looking at the _bishounen._

"What happened?" asked Rin, sitting down beside Luka.

"Well, I saw blue eyes staring into mine, but it scared me because I saw it when I was taking a bath," Luka explained, looking down on the ground as she kicked a pebble.

"All of us have the same shade of blue eyes except for Kaito-kun," Rin described, looking at Luka's eyes.

Luka got up and walked to Kaito. She moved her face closer and closer to his, her nose almost touching Kaito's.

"_O-oi_! _Ch-chotto!_" Kaito yelled, trying to get his face away from hers.

"L-Luka-chan! D-don't get too close to his face!" Miku worriedly protested.

"Hold still!" Luka said, a little annoyed.

Kaito gulped and kept his head still, his eyes wide open. Luka was so close to his face that he could feel the warm, minty breath coming out of Luka's mouth. He was afraid that Luka might be able to hear his heartbeat.

Luka started shaking her head as she moved back, relieving Kaito. He let out the breath he'd been holding, looking at Miku, who gave him a dirty look which made him cower.

"Shion-kun's eyes are a shade of dark blue and our eyes are a shade of aqua. The eyes that I saw were more of an indigo color, so I'm sure it's none of us," Luka explained, remembering the color of the mysterious eyes.

All of them got worried, having no clue of whose eyes they were.

A strong breeze blew once again, making Luka shiver and wrap her arms around herself.

"Anyways, let's all go inside. It's getting colder and colder," Luka said, smiling awkwardly.

They all agreed, feeling the school's heat as they walked back in. Luka was the last one to go back in, leaving her in charge of shutting the door.

Before she shut it, she saw someone out in the rooftop. Her eyes widened as she remembered the eyes in her vision while looking outside.

"_Matte!_" Luke shouted, opening the door as quickly as she could.

She stepped back out to the rooftop to try and find the person she just saw. Much to her disappointment, she found nobody.

"What's wrong?" asked Len, rushing to Luka's side along with everybody else.

"Nothing…it's just that—nothing," Luka said, trying to find the words to explain what she saw.

They continued off to where they were and went back to the classroom. The eyes, the heartbreaking melody, and the strange person she saw on the rooftop were all in Luka's mind the whole time she stayed in the classroom. She tried closing her eyes to get some sleep, but it was impossible. Her friends were starting to worry about Luka.

"Let's go grab lunch!" Rin exclaimed as soon as the school bell rang to signal their lunch break.

All five of them got up and brought their _bentos. _Luka walked behind the rest of them, looking pale and stressed. Her always-smiling face was covered up with a stressed, old-looking Luka.

With her staying behind, nobody noticed her until suddenly, Luka started wobbling as she walked down the hallways. She dropped her _bento, _spilling the contents Momo made all over the floor.

"Luka-chan, _daijoubu?_" Miku asked, assisting her as she got up.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"But, you're pale and you're so war—"

"I said I'm fine. I'm probably just hungry," Luka explained.

Miku's eyebrows arched in worry as she helped Luka get up. They continued walking, paying more attention to the pink-haired girl.

Luka's vision started getting blurry as she got weaker and weaker. She collapsed to the floor without her knowing, only hearing parts of her friends' voices yelling her name as she closed her eyes.

* * *

"Where am I?" Luka asked, opening her eyes.

"You're in your room, Luka-sama," Momo said, patting Luka's face with a cold, wet towel.

"But, I was in school."

"Kaito-kun carried you here."

"Why?"

"You still have a fever for two days now."

"So, I was asleep for two whole days?"

Momo nodded, picking up the basin.

"I'll be back to bring your medicine," Momo stated, closing Luka's door.

Luka sat up quietly with nothing in her mind. She didn't know where to pick up from. She didn't know what to start thinking about for everything was disorderly embedded in her mind.

_Dakiyosete hoshii tashikamete hoshii_

_Machigai nado nai n da to omowasete_

_Kisu o shite nurikaete hoshii_

_Miwaku no toki ni yoishire oborete itai no_

Luka got up, her aquamarine eyes, full of heartbreak and curiosity, looking out to the balcony. She tried to look for the source of the song and she knew it was nearby. Luka quickly ran outside to the woods to find the poignant melody.

Luka ran and ran, her bare feet getting poked and cut by the fallen stems and pebbles on the ground. She followed an invisible trail leading to the source of the music.

"I can't stop running! It's…it's drawing me in," Luka thought, hypnotized by the beautiful yet depressing voice that she was getting closer and closer to.

Out of the blue, she stopped.

There it was.

The source of the melody.

The snow started pouring as Luka's jaw dropped with her eyes widening as she saw the mysterious person she had been searching for.

"Purple hair…indigo eyes," Luka muttered, not being able to move.

The man standing in front of her stopped singing and just stood there, looking into Luka's aquamarine eyes as if he could see through them. Luka couldn't find the right words to say as she froze under the falling snow, but she managed to say something.

"It's you."

* * *

"We have no other choice," Luka's grandmother said, her voice raised up higher than before to show her anger.

"We must keep a superior watch on Luka," she continued.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo replied.

"And thus," Luka's grandmother calmly said.

"It has begun."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_bishounen- _pretty boy

_oi- _"Hey!"

_chotto- _"Hold on!"

_matte-_ "Wait!"

_bento- _homemade lunch box

_daijoubu- _"Are you okay?"

_dakiyosete hoshii tashikamete hoshii...-_ lyrics to the first chorus of the song "Magnet" which is a song that can be sung by any Vocaloid pairing


	9. Chapter 9: His Return

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 9: His Return

"It's you," Luka muttered, finally meeting the mysterious purple-haired man that was singing the distressing song.

The man looked into Luka's huge, shocked, aquamarine eyes as the snow dramatically fell down from the sky.

Luka took a step closer to the purple-haired man, still in his sad-looking eyes' trance. She looked into his mysterious, hypnotic eyes as she realized that she wanted to know more about him, but suddenly, she collapsed to the ground, falling unconscious.

The purple-haired man slowly and carefully picked up the unconscious Luka and carried her on his arms. He walked through the forest while singing his melancholic song.

* * *

Luka slowly opened her eyes as she realized that she was on her soft futon. She looked to her side to find Momo washing a white cloth in a basin full of ice-cold water.

"Where is he?" Luka asked, hurriedly getting up.

"Who?"

"The man! Th-the purple-haired man! Is he here? Where is he?"

"He's talking to the head of the shrine."

"My grandma?"

"I-is he in trouble?"

Momo shook her head, wringing out the water from the white cloth.

"Relax, Luka-sama," Momo said, placing the cloth on Luka's forehead as she gradually laid back down on her futon.

"I still need to talk to him," Luka thought to herself, sighing.

* * *

"Why did you come back?" asked Luka's grandmother, raising her voice.

"You can't keep me away from this place," the purple-haired man calmly replied.

Luka's grandmother clenched her fist, not being able to say anything. She got up and walked to the mysterious man, who was leaning on the wall.

"If anything goes wrong with the Providence," Luka's grandmother said, returning her calmness and slowly letting go of her clenched fist.

"You…are…dead," she clearly said, threatening him.

She slowly walked back to her seat, turning her back on the man.

"Have you even told her what the Providence is?" he asked, standing straight.

"No, and I'm not planning on it."

"She will eventually find out…Luna-san," the man warned the old lady as he walked out of her room.

"I will do everything in my power to hide the Providence from her," Luna quietly muttered to herself as the purple haired man exited her room, gently closing her sliding door.

After walking out of the door, the mysterious man walked down the hallway that leads to Luka's room. Before he could turn to leave the _shamusho_, Momo came out of Luka's room with the basin.

"Please go in there," Momo requested, closing Luka's door.

"Aren't you worried that I'm going to do something to her?" he asked, moving closer to Momo.

"I've heard stories about you, but my purpose is not to judge you, but to protect Luka-sama. If you do anything that can harm her, I will make sure that you receive a brutal punishment," Momo announced, her cheerful, innocent character quickly switching into a vicious protective one.

"She picked the right one, huh?" the man smirked.

"Don't you even talk about our past," Momo said dropping the basin and pinning the man to the wall with her arm on his neck.

"Momo-chan?" Luka called out from the other side of the wall after hearing the thump from when Momo shoved the man against the wall.

The puzzling man grabbed Momo's wrist and gently removed her arm away from his neck. The man smirked as Momo walked away to pick up the basin and wipe the spilled water.

"Momo-chan, do you think the—" Luka froze as she turned to the door, shocked to see that the mysterious man was there.

"How are you feeling?" the man asked as he sat down on the _tatami_ floor.

"I'm…I'm good," Luka sat up, staring at the man

"I-I'm Lu—"

"Luka Megurine? I know. I'm Gakupo. Gakupo Kamui," the man interrupted, reaching his hand out to shake Luka's hand.

"Thank you…for carrying me back here."

"It's nothing big. I want you to be careful next time."

"Do you go to our school?"

"I used to, but I had to leave."

"Are you coming back?"

Gakupo nodded, smiling.

"_Yokatta._" Luka said, relieved.

"Why are you relieved that I'm coming back?" asked Gakupo with his clear, mysterious, indigo eyes looking into Luka's.

"W-well…I-I…I umm…I wanted get to know more about you," Luka blurted out, her cheeks turning bright red.

"Why?"

"I-I don't know. I mean I love making friends."

Gakupo smiled as he got up to look at the falling snow outside Luka's balcony.

Luka got up to join Gakupo out in the balcony even if it was cold.

"Umm…were you the one hiding in the bushes when I first moved here?" she asked, still nervous.

"I was trying to find something, you see," Gakupo said, looking at the snow-covered bushes he was hiding in.

A moment of silence lingered between the two as they saw the snow fall slowly to the now-white ground. It was the first snow of the season which made it special.

Gakupo turned to Luka and moved closer to her. Luka's heart started beating faster and faster as her cheeks got redder.

"Here," Gakupo said, taking off his robe and placing it over Luka's shoulders to make her feel warm.

"Th-thank you," Luka said, blushing.

Before he left, Gakupo kissed Luka's forehead, making her whole face turn red.

"Get well soon," he said as he slowly shut the door.

Luka to the hard, cold, wooden floor, shocked from the kiss he had given her.

"Gakupo…Kamui," she muttered, putting a hand over her forehead where Gakupo left a warm sensation using his kiss.

Luka smiled, her cheeks still blushing as she clasped Gakupo's robe over her.

Before Gakupo left the _shamusho_, he encountered the laidback Kaito in the hallways.

"So, you're back," Kaito said as Gakupo passed by him.

"Yes, I've returned," Gakupo replied, stopping.

Kaito, who was leaning on the wall, stood up straight to be able to talk to Gakupo.

"Why?"

"It's none of your business."

"Is it because of the Providence?"

"I said…it's none of your business."

"I'm going to tell you this now, Gakupo. If you hurt any of them, I will make sure that you will pay for it."

Gakupo kept on walking quietly, not giving a care of what Kaito had just said.

Kaito turned the opposite way that lead to Luna's room.

"I'll make sure that none of the past events happen again because of you, Gakupo," Kaito muttered, clenching his fist as he walked down the dark hallway.

* * *

"Keep an eye on Gakupo and Luka," Luna commanded Kaito, who was kneeling next to Momo.

"Yes, ma'am," Kaito replied, bowing even if he knew that Luna was not able to see him through the shut sliding door.

"Amane-sama, what if I need to—"

"Not yet, Kaito-san. Wait for the upcoming _Yukitsuki no Gishiki_," Luna interrupted.

"Yes, ma'am," Kaito replied.

"For now, just keep an eye on the two."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_tatami- _mat made of rice straws

_yokatta-_ "I'm glad."

_shamusho-_ a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(_yuki) _Moon (_tsuki_) Ceremony (_gishiki); _The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story.


	10. Chapter 10: Troubled Feelings

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 10: Troubled Feelings

"Kamui-san!" called Luka when she saw Gakupo walking down the _sandou _after his visit to the shrine's _haiden_ located in front of the _honden._

"Kamui-san, may I ask you a question?" Luka panted after running across the the long approach.

Gakupo smiled and nodded as he looked at Luka's exhausting face. His smile seemed to have helped Luka regain her energy.

"Umm…w-well…I…umm," Luka stuttered.

"_Dou shiyou_? My heart is beating too fast! It's going to burst!" she thought, her face turning red in panic.

"I'll just say it really fast!" Luka thought, taking a deep breath.

"Will you please go to the _onsen_ with us tomorrow?" Luka quickly blurted out, her eyes closed in nervousness.

"Did he understand that? Oh no! I think I talked too fast!" Luka thought to herself in panic.

"Sure."

"Hmm?" Luka looked up to see Gakupo's warm, friendly smile.

"I'll go," Gakupo smiled.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Luka excitedly said, jumping up.

"We'll see you tomorrow then, Kamu—"

"Gakupo. Gakupo's fine," the purple-haired man corrected.

"G-Gakupo?"

Gakupo nodded, still wearing his friendly smile as he heard his name being said by a beautiful girl.

"Th-then, we'll see you tomorrow, G-Gakupo-kun," stuttered the blushing Luka.

She ran back to her room, stepping on some melted snow along the way.

It had been three days since she officially met Gakupo. The snow hasn't fallen ever since that day, but due to the cold, winter weather, only a few amount of snow melted away.

That night, Luka couldn't stop thinking about Gakupo. Her cheeks blushed to the thought of how she was starting to get closer and closer to Gakupo.

Luka held her hand close to her heart, feeling its rapid heartbeat.

"Dear heart, please stop beating too fast when I'm with him. I don't want to explode," Luka prayed, closing her eyes as she trailed off to sleep.

The next day, Luka greeted all of them at the bottom of the long stone stairs. She didn't want to meet them at the _shamusho _for they would get tired from going up and down.

"Let's go!" Miku exclaimed, lifting up her backpack as soon as Rin and Len arrived.

"Wait, he'll be here soon," Luka protested, looking for Gakupo.

"Who are we waiting for?" Rin asked.

"Sorry I'm late."

As Gakupo showed up from the shrine, Luka smiled in relief, however, the rest of her friends were not happy to see him. Kaito clenched his fist, Len clenched his bag's handle, Rin looked at Len in worry and Miku anxiously looked away.

"Why did you come from that way?" Luka asked, pointing at the shrine.

"I had to offer a prayer to make our trip safe," Gakupo smiled.

"Oh okay. Oh, Gakupo-kun, I want you to meet my fr—"

"We've already met," Kaito interrupted, giving Gakupo a dirty look that Luka didn't notice.

"Oh…umm…okay," Luka said, curious about how and when they met Gakupo.

"Let's go. Neru's dad is waiting for us," Len said, walking ahead.

The party walked down the main road to the bus stop where they found Neru and her father inside the van. Neru unlocked the van's door, signaling them to go ahead and enter the vehicle.

"Hmm? Akita-san doesn't look anything like her father," Luka thought, looking at Neru's father's face.

"But his face seems so familiar. He looks like someone I've met, but I can't pin point who it is," she thought.

"This is a roomy van," Rin said, buckling her seatbelt as she unknowingly interrupted Luka's curious thoughts.

Neru's father took them to the train station downtown. It usually takes only twenty minutes to get there, but since Neru's father was driving carefully on the icy roads, it took them forty minutes. Silence lingered between all of them during those forty minutes they were packed in a van.

"We're finally here!" exclaimed Luka, getting out of the train station located only three blocks away from the _onsen_.

After seeing the refreshing look of the _onsen_'s steams, they all walked quickly, not taking a break. Even Gakupo was walking fast.

In the _onsen_'s lobby, they were greeted by a hostess dressed in a _kimono_. They were asked if they wanted their own rooms or a big room where they can share. The girls decided to share a room while the boys decided to get their own. As soon as they brought their luggage to their rooms, they got dressed and quickly entered the indoor bath.

"Wow! It feels so great in here!" Luka exclaimed in refreshment as she placed her towel on top of her head.

Miku and Rin entered the bath, placing the towel on top of their heads. The steam felt exhilarating as their frozen bodies were warmed up by the warm water.

Luka noticed that Miku and Rin have not said anything, taking that there's something wrong.

"Miku, Rin, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," Miku and Rin replied in unison.

"Yes, there is! Please, tell me," Luka insisted.

"It's just that," Miku said.

"We're happy yet jealous you made a new friend," Rin finished off.

"But haven't you already met Gakupo-kun?"

"Yeah, but we were just shocked on how quickly you can get along with someone," Rin lied.

"Oh. Well, no need. You two got along with me right quick, remember?"

Rin and Miku nodded and looked at each other, reading their minds. They both decided to mask away their anxious faces with a merry one that would stop Luka's curiosities and worries.

Miku and Rin splashed water on Luka, causing her to think that they were fine. Even if they had fun, worry was still in Miku's and Rin's minds.

Meanwhile, Gakupo, Len and Kaito all went into the men's indoor bath, but did not talk to each other inside. All three of them were focused on relaxing and clearing their minds as the steam entered their nose.

After the long, invigorating bath that they all took, they ate dinner all together in a huge room. However, Gakupo, Len and Kaito kept quiet and did not talk to each other which worried Luka. She and the rest of the girls chatted about what they were going to do tomorrow.

The party decided to sleep early to be able to have the outdoor baths for themselves tomorrow morning. Due to being refreshed from the bath she took before dinner, Luka quickly fell into a sound sleep. Miku and Rin, however, sat down on the bench in their room's balcony to talk.

"I know what you're thinking," Miku quietly said, looking at the stars.

Rin nodded in reply, her face still depicting worry.

"I'm scared…not only for ourselves…but for her, too," Rin's tiny, anxious voice came out into the night as the wind howled.

"Don't be scared! We'll be fine. I promise," Miku scolded, trying to scare away her own worries.

* * *

"What are we going to do now that Luka-sama has met him?" asked Momo.

"We still have a lot of time before the Providence, Momo-san," Luna replied.

"No need to worry. When she returns, prepare Luka for the _Yukitsuki no Gishiki_," she continued.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo obediently replied.

"This important ceremony is a start."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_sandou- _a long approach/path to the sacred buildings made of concrete

_haiden- _oratory or hall of worship

_honden- _main hall enshrining the god/spirit

_dou shiyo- _"What should I do?"

_onsen_- hot springs

_shamusho- _a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives

_kimono- _Japanese traditional garment

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(_yuki) _Moon (_tsuki_) Ceremony (_gishiki); _The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story


	11. Chapter 11: Eyes Full of Sorrow

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 11: Eyes Full of Sorrow

"Outdoor baths are amazing," Miku sighed as the three of them dipped their bodies in the warm water of the hot springs as the sun rose.

Luka and Rin nodded their heads in agreement. The cold weather around them made the bath felt so much better. The three girls knew that it really was winter for the chirping of the birds had disappeared along with them.

Meanwhile, the boys ate their breakfast in silence as they waited for the three girls to finish their outdoor baths. Since there was only one outdoor bath, the owners of the hot springs decided to turn it into an inter-gender outdoor bath. However, the girls did not agree to let the boys come out.

After an hour of waiting, it was the men's turn. They watched the ladies go back in, seeing their bare arms and legs.

"Luka," called Gakupo, preventing Luka to take another step.

Luka turned to see his muscular chest and abdomen, making her heart beat faster.

"Y-yes, Gakupo-kun," Luka said, blushing.

"Meet me at the dinner hall in an hour," he said, his gentle eyes hypnotizing her.

Luka nodded her head and rushed back in, hoping that he didn't notice her blushing, red face.

When Gakupo turned around, he found Len and Kaito giving him the dirtiest look they could give. Their stares were as sharp as a knife that they could almost cut Gakupo up, but instead, he didn't get intimidated and just shook their stares off. Gakupo closes his eyes and just relaxed.

An hour later, Gakupo and Luka met exactly where they decided to meet at.

"I'm glad you came," he said, smiling.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" asked Luka as she started to blush.

"I want to take you out."

"Y-you mean…like umm…a d-date?" Luka stuttered.

Gakupo nodded and smiled to answer her question.

"_Dou shiyo? Dou shiyo?_" Luka panicked in her head.

"S-sure," Luka replied after losing control of herself in her head.

"I'll meet you back here after you change," Gakupo nicely said.

Luka hurriedly ran back to their room to find her clothes that would be appropriate for a date and for a cold weather. She finally found the right outfit after digging and throwing all of her clothes out from her suitcase and throwing it all over their room's floor.

"You look amazing," Gakupo replied when Luka met him in front of the dinner hall's door.

Luka wore a brown dress under her long white trench coat with black stockings and brown knee-high boots. Gakupo wore black jeans and a red jacket with fur lining on the hood and sneakers. He also wore a white shirt under his jacket.

"Let's go," Gakupo smiled, holding Luka's hand.

Without their knowing, Len saw the two walk out of the hot spring resort while holding hands from a window of the building's second floor.

"Luka," Len muttered, clenching his fist to the sight of the two holding hands.

"So, where are we going?" Luka asked, holding one of her hand up to her chest to feel how much her heart was racing.

"It's a surprise," winked Gakupo, making Luka's face turn a brighter red.

Gakupo took Luka for a small bus ride to the village and to see some landscapes. She was able to see the snow-covered mountains and the empty fields. They weren't much of a scenery, but their sizes were enough to amaze the pink-haired girl. Seeing Luka's smile made Gakupo smile.

When they reached the village, there weren't a lot of people, but there were a lot of shops. There were pink shops, shops where you can get souvenirs, shops where only women can go in, and shops that you would normally see in the city.

The first place they went to was a café.

"I bet you're hungry," Gakupo said, bringing Luka to a café to eat.

"I'd like a melon _pan_, a cappuccino," Gakupo nicely told the waitress as she wrote them down.

"I'd like a slice of green tea pound cake and a cup of hot cocoa, please," Luka said, handing the menu back to the waitress.

"Where do you want to go after this?" asked Gakupo as soon as the waitress left.

"I don't really know."

"Well, I guess I get to bring you to surprise places," Gakupo smiled, making Luka giggle.

Their orders came quickly, giving them more time to spend for their date. Luka decided that it was her turn to act so she sliced a piece of her pound cake and placed it on top of her fork.

"G-Gakupo-kun, say 'Aaah'," she bashfully said, lifting the fork up close to Gakupo's mouth.

Gakupo was surprised from Luka's sudden confidence, but smiled for he knew that she was starting to feel more comfortable. He opened his mouth as Luka drove her fork into his mouth. Gakupo closed his mouth before Luka pulled her fork out to get the slice of pound cake.

"It's really good," Gakupo smiled after swallowing the piece of cake.

Luka was glad that the move she just made was a success and made Gakupo smile. However, Luka noticed something about Gakupo's eyes that she couldn't describe.

"It's probably just me," she said, hiding her curiosity with a fake smile.

After that, Gakupo took her to an arcade building where they found a claw arcade game. Luka took a liking on one of the toys inside the machine.

"It's almost there! You got it!" she cheered as Gakupo played the game.

Fortunately, he won the stuff toy that Luka really wanted. It was an octopus with a head that looked like a _chibi_ Luka.

"_Kawaii!"_ Luka exclaimed when Gakupo handed her the small octopus toy.

"_Tako_ Luka," Gakupo blurted out of nowhere.

"Eh?" Luka wondered, tilting her head to the side in no clue.

"That's her name," Gakupo pointed at the stuffed octopus.

"It's a _chibi _you," Gakupo smiled.

Luka smiled, placing _Tako_ Luka close to her heart to treasure her.

"Thank you for _Tako_ Luka, Gakupo-kun," she smiled, hugging the tiny toy in joy.

Gakupo smiled back, his face blushing for the first time. Luka's cheerful spirit made Gakupo feel so ecstatic. Luka looked at Gakupo's indigo eyes once again, noticing the same odd thing she saw earlier. She was worried, but still smiled to keep Gakupo from feeling bad for her.

Gakupo took her to other places like the souvenir shop, a kids' shop where they took pictures in a photo booth, a bakery, a small clothing store, and even a bookstore.

After taking the bus ride home, they walked back under the winter sky. The sun was on its way to say goodbye and welcome the moon and the stars.

"Gakupo-kun," Luka said, her hand entwined with his.

Her heart was still racing even if she was starting to feel comfortable about holding hands with him.

"Will you p-please sing me a song or s-sing with me, at least," she requested, feeling shy for making an urgent, selfish request.

"What do you want to sing?" he asked, looking into her aquamarine eyes.

"That song…the song you were singing…when we first met," she hesitantly said.

Gakupo let go of Luka's hand and walked to the railing of the bridge they were on. He looked out to the almost-frozen brook where the bridge was built over. He took a deep breath and started singing.

_Karamiau yubi hodoite_

_Kuchibiru kara shita e to_

_Yurusarenai koto naraba_

_Naosara moeagaru no_

Hearing Gakupo's voice's beautiful melody, Luka got carried away and decided to sing with him. To her surprise, she knew the lyrics to the song she had only heard once.

_Dakiyosete hoshii tashikamete hoshii_

_Machigai nado nai n da to omowasete_

_Kisu o shite nurikaete hoshii_

_Miwaku no toki ni yoishire oborete itai no_

The combined voices of Luka and Gakupo made a sweet, harmonious melody that can move any person's heart. Gakupo looked at her and smiled, almost bringing tears to her eyes after her realizing what she saw in his eyes when they were at the village.

"Why?" she thought, gazing into his shining, indigo eyes.

"Why are you smiling…when your eyes are so full of sorrow?" she asked, keeping it in her mind as she smiled back at him to mask away her worry.

"Why?"

* * *

"When is she coming back?" Luna impatiently asked.

"Tomorrow, ma'am," Momo replied with respect.

"Prepare her as soon as she gets back, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Momo once again respectfully replied.

"Nothing must go wrong on the first ceremony."

* * *

**Author's** **notes:**

_dou shiyo- _"What should I do?"

_pan_- bread

_chibi- _Japanese slang word for "small child" or "small person"

_kawaii- _cute

_tako- _octopus

_Karamiau yubi hodoite...- _lyrics to the second verse of the song "Magnet" which is a song that can be sung by any Vocaloid pairing

_Dakiyosete hoshii..._- lyrics to the first chorus of the song "Magnet" which is a song that can be sung by any Vocaloid pairing


	12. Chapter 12: The Kagura

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 12: The _Kagura_

"_Okaerinasai, _Luka-sama," Momo greeted from the top of the stairs.

Luka and the others just came back from their trip to the _onsen_, however the others decided to just visit the shrine the day before school starts again. They only have three days left to spend.

"How was the trip, Luka-sama?" Momo asked, carrying one of her bags.

"It was so much fun! You should've been there!" Luka exclaimed as she remembered her and Gakupo's date.

"Could that be from Len-kun?" asked Momo, pointing at the _chibi_-Luka-headed octopus.

"Oh, her name's _Tako_ Luka. It's from Gakupo-kun," she said, blushing as she held the stuffed toy close to her heart.

"Oh," Momo said in disappointment.

Luka talked about the rest of the trip and all about the malls and shops in the village, the huge snow-covered mountains, and the vast, empty plains. From what Momo was hearing, Luka had a wonderful time.

"Luka-sama, after you finish dressing up, please go to Amane-sama's room. She needs to talk to you," Momo commanded, placing Luka's luggage on the floor.

"Oh, okay. Thanks," she replied, closing the door after Momo left.

She quickly dressed up, hoping to see her grandmother's face if she gets there earlier. She ran down the halls after closing the door of her room, but slowed down when she reached the hall that leads to her grandmother's room.

"You called for me, Grandma?" Luka asked, kneeling in front of the shut sliding doors.

Luka maintained her normal tone of voice to hide her disappointment of not seeing her grandmother. Luka had been living there for three months now and still hasn't seen even just a glimpse of her grandmother who she hasn't seen since she was five years old.

"Yes, Luka. In seven days, an important ceremony will take place. Momo-san will explain to you what it is and how it's done. After school, you are to return straight back home for training. You may not have any visitor during those seven days of training. Is that understood?" she strictly explained, not even asking if Luka had any questions.

"Y-yes, ma'am," she replied with a frown on her face.

"Rest up for tonight. Tomorrow is that start. Momo-san will explain to you what this ceremony is tonight during dinner," she contined before sending Luka away.

After doing her curtsey, Momo brought Luka back to her room to rest from the long trip she had from the _onsen_. The warm, soft futon that she fell on made her swiftly go to sleep.

"…ka-sama…Luka-sama," Momo's voice echoed as she shook Luka's body to wake her up.

"Oh, is it time for dinner?" Luka asked, slowly sitting up while rubbing her eyes.

Momo nodded and went on ahead. Luka followed behind, stretching and yawning along the way. Momo prepared soup for dinner to warm their bodies up. She smiled as she saw Luka happily eat the food.

"So, what is this ceremony I'm training for?" she asked, wiping her mouth.

"_Yukitsuki no Gishiki_, or the Snow Moon Ceremony is a ceremony that is performed every twenty years on the last full moon of the year. In this ceremony, you must perform the _miko kagura_. That is what your training will be for. Amane-sama has told me that you do not know how to perform the _kagura,_" Momo explained while sipping some tea from time to time.

"What is it for?" Luka asked, finishing her bowl of soup.

Momo placed her cup of tea down gently as she closed her eyes to pause and take a deep breath.

"Recently, the night has been filthy."

"What do you mean?" Luka asked in confusion.

"The spirits around has been unstable for they have not felt any purification recently. Your grandmother, Amane-sama, is growing old causing her powers to fade including the purified seals she had placed on the spirits," Momo explained in a serious face.

"Your performance of the _kagura_ will purify the night and the seals for the spirits," Momo continued with a smile on her face.

"_Yosh! Ganbaru!_" Luka exclaimed, getting up from her seat while holding up her fist.

"You can go ahead to bed, Luka-sama. We're going to start training early in the morning," Momo smiled, cleaning up the table.

"Ok. Oh, Momo-chan, I promise you this," Luka said, making Momo stop what she was doing.

"I'm going to do my best!" Luka said with full of determination.

She ran to her room to continue her sleep. Momo smiled from Luka's lively determination. However, as soon as she heard Luka's sliding door close, her smile turned into a frown filled with worry and pain while placing the bowls in the sink.

"I'm sorry, Luka-sama."

* * *

"First, I'm going to show you how to do the _kagura," _Momo stated, grabbing a _gohei _from the shrine's storehouse.

Momo and Luka walked back to the _shamusho_'s front to show Luka the _kagura._ Despite of the cold weather, Momo and Luka stayed outside. Fortunately, all of the snow has melted.

Momo stood in front of Luka while holding the _gohei _in front of her chest. She took deep breaths and started dancing. She raised the right hand that held the _gohei _to the top of her head while stepping with her left foot.

Then, she raised her left hand up to hold the _gohei _with both hands while she joined her feet together. After that, she drew a huge circle with both of her hands and placed the _gohei _near her chest. She turned a full circle and placed the _gohei _on top of her head with her left hand on her abdomen.

Momo continued dancing, amazing Luka. Her gaze was kept on the graceful Momo as she danced the _kagura _in front of her. When Momo finished, she bowed her head to Luka while she clapped for her.

"Wow, Momo-chan. You're really good," Luka exclaimed, her eyes still wide open from the amazement she just watched.

"Now, it's your turn," Momo said, handing her the _gohei._

She taught Luka the basic steps of the dance and told her that the dance she showed was not the one she'll be dancing in front of everyone for the ceremony. Momo also explained that she will not be using the _gohei_, but will be using a different instrument for the purification.

During the process of learning the _kagura_, Luka started realizing that she must do well and maybe she would get to see her grandmother. She was determined after realizing that it was also a big responsibility.

"Even if it's hard, I will definitely not give up," Luka confidently thought as she tried dancing the basic steps.

* * *

"What did you tell her?" asked Luna with concern.

"I told her that the ceremony is for the purification of spirits around us," Momo replied, respectfully kneeling on the floor.

"Good."

"But, Amane-sama, it's not right to lie!" protested Momo, raising her tone of voice.

"Do not tell me what's right and wrong, Momo-san!" Luna yelled in anger.

"Yes, ma'am. I apologize and would like to ask for your forgiveness," Momo replied, her frown hidden behind the shut sliding doors.

"I forgive you, but I'm going to tell you this once again," Luna said, her normal tone of voice returning.

"We all had to make sacrifices."

* * *

_kagura- _ancient Shinto dance meaning "god-entertainment"

_okaerinasai- _a formal phrase meaning "welcome home/back"

_onsen- _hot spring

_chibi- _Japanese slang word for "small child" or "small person"

_tako- _octopus

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(yuki) Moon (tsuki) Ceremony (gishiki); The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story.

_miko kagura_- ancient Shinto dances performed by shrine maidens_  
_

___yosh-_ a word used for motivation. e.g. "Let's go!"/ "I got this!"/ "I can do this!"/ "Come on!"

_ganbaru- _a word used for motivation. e.g "I'll do my best!"

_shamusho- _a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives

_gohei- _wooden wands decorated with two zigzag paper streamers


	13. Chapter 13: Yukitsuki no Gishiki

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 13: _Yukitsuki no Gishiki_

"Welcome back from your winter break, everyone," Tokine-sensei greeted, silencing the students.

"For today, we have a new student. He had before and just came back recently. Come on in," Tokine-sensei asked, motioning to the new student behind the door.

Luka was so happy to see the new student that her smile spread from cheek to cheek as he walked in to the front of the class.

"He's back!"

"He's still so cool!"

The girls were all blushing at the sight of the new student. The boys, however, were just glad to see that an old friend was back.

"I'm Gakupo Kamui. Please to meet you all," Gakupo bowed with respect.

All the girls squealed and screamed as they fell in love with him after hearing his manly voice.

"Kamui-kun, there are plenty of empty seats. You may choose any if you'd like," Tokine-sensei said, pointing at the empty seats.

Gakupo walked to Luka, surprising everyone.

"I'm glad we're in the same class, Luka," Gakupo smiled, making Luka blush.

Miku and Rin were full of worries while Kaito was enraged and was concerned of Luka. However, he was more concerned of Len.

Kaito remembered that day when Len confessed to him about how he feels for Luka. Len was falling in love with her, but she didn't seem to return his feelings for her.

"Will you kindly move so I can sit here instead?" asked Gakupo, turning to the girl sitting beside Luka.

"O-okay!" the girl exclaimed, her face fully red as she grabbed her things and moved to an empty seat.

After Gakupo situated himself on his seat, he turned to Luka and gave her a charming smile.

"Now, I want to remind all of you that we will have an early dismissal on Wednesday for the yearly Amane Shrine ceremony. For that day, we will have a study hall where you can finish your missing assignments and take your missing tests if you have any," Tokine-sensei reminded, writing the date on the side of the board.

The day went by normally except Gakupo was now in their class and Luka had not said a word to Len. After school, Gakupo and Luka walked home together while the rest followed behind.

"Did something happen between those two?" asked Rin, curious of how much closer they've gotten to each other ever since the _onsen_ trip.

"Who knows," Kaito said, looking at Len.

Miku and Rin noticed Kaito's looking at Len, so they decided to do the same thing.

"I don't know what happened between those two," Len said, not even taking a look at them or asking them why they were looking at him.

In his mind, however, was the smile Luka had on her face when she and Gakupo left the resort to go on their date. Luka and Gakupo kept their date a secret from everyone else. Len may be laid back from the outside, but he was full of rage and jealousy inside.

"Well, I have to go. I need to train for the ceremony in two days," Luka said, saying her goodbye from the bottom of the long stairs.

"I'm sure you'll do great, Luka," Gakupo smiled, making Luka's blush.

"Umm…a-are you going to watch my performance?"

"Of course."

Luka was so excited that Gakupo will come to watch her dance."

"O-okay! W-well, I'll see you tomorrow," Luka said, stuttering with excitement and nervousness.

"Okay."

Gakupo gave Luka a kiss on the forehead, shocking her. She was so surprised that it felt like time had stopped for that moment. Her face was so red that she ran to the stairs as quick as she could to hide it.

On his way home, Gakupo encountered Kaito.

"Does she know what the ceremony is for?" Gakupo asked, waiting for Kaito to stop walking after they passed by each other.

"No."

"Luka's not the type to just do something because she was told to."

"Momo-san lied to her."

"I can't believe she lied."

Without saying anything else, Gakupo walked away while Kaito clenched his fist in anger.

"You lied to her, too," he muttered under his breath, walking back home.

* * *

"I don't think I can do this, Momo-chan," Luka nervously, twenty minutes away from her _kagura_ performance.

Luka wore a red _hakama_ that almost touched the ground, a white _haori _with red running stitches through the sleeve's opening, and a _tabi _with slippers. Her long tresses of pink hair were let loose for she wore a golden crown on top of her head with dangling, diamond-shaped gold and a red jade in the middle.

Momo applied subtle make-up on her face so that her innocent face would still be kept.

"You'll do great, Luka-sama," Momo said, applying some lip gloss on Luka's lips.

"There," she announced, finishing Luka's make-up.

"You look beautiful."

Luka smiled to the compliment Momo had given her. Momo handed her the sacred object she was to use for her performance.

The first sacred object was a rod full of golden bells that she was to hold on her left hand. The sacred object that she was to hold on her right hand was the shrine's _Y__ata no Kagami_ with red and golden-colored ribbons.

"Remember, you must let the full moon bathe the mirror with its light before you finished," Momo reminded, as she helped Luka get ready to walk to the stage.

As soon as the clouds have departed and the full moon was shining all over the shrine, Luka gracefully stepped out. She paused in every step to rattle the bells. The drummers started beating the drum, quieting everyone down.

Luka danced gracefully, closing her eyes from time to time to relax herself. She matched her movements to the beating of the drum. In her mind were the complete steps that Momo taught her for a whole week.

"I worked hard for this, so I'll make it a success," Luka thought, keeping in his mind why she really wanted the purification ceremony to be successful.

She wanted Gakupo to like it and for her grandmother to be proud of her. She really wanted to make her grandmother proud, thinking that she would finally be able to see her grandmother.

When the moon's light was starting to shine directly on Luka in the middle of her performance, glimmering lights started swarming around her.

"What's this?" she thought, wondering if it was a part of the dance.

She looked at the audience to find that no one else besides her was seeing the strange sparkling lights that were around her.

"I…I feel…I feel powerful," she thought, her moves getting more and more graceful as she reached the end of the _kagura._

Luka remembered what Momo had reminded her earlier. To end her dance, she stretched her right hand out to where she can see the moon's reflection on the _Yata no Kagami__._

The moon shone a bright ray of light and the mirror reflected it to Luka's eyes. She closed them to keep them from being blinded, but she quickly opened them to look at the mirror.

"I-is that me?" Luka asked herself, looking into the mirror.

Suddenly, Luka's reflection changed into a series of events. Luka kept on watching what was going on in the mirror as if it was a television. Then, her aquamarine eyes turned into a dull, lifeless shade of blue and her facial expression showed nothing.

A tear dropped down her face as she watched every event in the mirror. She saw Miku, Rin, Len and Kaito, but they were wearing traditional, ancient clothing. Luka also saw her and Gakupo, but something happened between them that she couldn't tell.

"What is this?" she thought, her conscience still with her.

She could feel herself trembling as if something bad was going to happen soon. Luka could feel her heartbeat getting faster and faster, seeing more events that she didn't understand and didn't want to see.

"The Providence is a fate you can't escape," Luka's reflection talked to her as she blacked out and lost her conscience, falling in front of everyone on the stage in the _kagura-den_.

* * *

"This ceremony was a success," Luna calmly said.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo agreed, feeling Luna's relief and happiness through the closed doors.

"We are to expect more things to come, aren't we?" Luna asked even if she already knew the answer.

"Yes ma'am," Momo replied, always full of respect.

"This ceremony has finally enlightened her of her inevitable fate."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(yuki) Moon (tsuki) Ceremony (gishiki); The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story

_onsen- _hot spring

_kagura- _ancient Shinto dance meaning "god-entertainment"

_hakama-_ long, divided, red trousers worn by shrine maidens

_haori-_ a long white kimono jacket worn by shrine maidens

_tabi- _traditional Japanese socks that are ankle-high and have separations between the big toe and other toes

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_kagura-den-_ building dedicated to the sacred _kagura _dance and also where they are performed


	14. Chapter 14: Strong yet Gentle

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 14: Strong yet Gentle

"Who's there?" Luka asked as she heard a girl's crying voice.

"It was all my fault!" the voice cried out, her sobs luring Luka in.

When Luka finally found the girl crying in the corner, she approached her to give her comfort. She reached out a hand, but suddenly, the girl stood up and revealed her face.

It was Luka.

"Me?"

"I'm so sorry," the other Luka said, her tears flowing.

"I'm so sorry."

* * *

Luka woke up gasping for air as she woke up from her strange nightmare in the middle of the night.

"Why was it me?" Luka thought, her eyes wide in shock.

She calmed herself by going to her balcony to get some fresh air. She looked at the full moon and remembered what happened during the _Yukitsuki no Gishiki._ Luka held onto herself as the wind blew by and sent shivers in every part of her body.

"What were those series of events in the mirror?" she thought, looking at the stars.

"And why did my own reflection talk to me?"

After feeling more relaxed and refreshed, she decided to walk back inside to return back to her sleep.

"_Yata_ _no Kagami_, huh," Luka muttered as her eyelids slowly shut.

* * *

"I'll see you later, Momo-chan," Luka said, grabbing her _bento_.

On her way, she met Gakupo and they walked to school together. They greeted each other with their always-friendly smiles, but Gakupo noticed that it wasn't the same smile that Luka always gave him. He waited for her to say something, but her mouth was tightly shut with a worried face.

Gakupo held Luka's hand, surprising her. She looked up to see Gakupo's smile. Her heart was beating really fast, but she felt safe with him. She felt as if she shouldn't worry about anything else whenever she's with him. Luka smiled in relief while her face blushed the whole time they walked to school.

When they reached the classroom, everyone stared at them for they were still holding hands. She wanted to let go for she didn't want the attention, but she decided to hold his hand because she wasn't scared to show her true feelings for Gakupo to everyone.

Miku, Kaito, and Rin were all disappointed to see them holding hands, their face frowning. Instead of showing their worry, they all did their best to fake their smiles to show support for Luka.

"Are you a couple now?" Rin excitedly asked with a big smile on her face.

Luka nodded while hiding her red face behind Gakupo.

"_Omedetou_," Kaito said, not wanting to.

"Thanks, Kaito," Gakupo replied, smiling.

Len walked in without greeting everyone for they were all fussing about the new couple.

"What's going on?" he asked Kaito, placing his things on his desk.

"They're a couple now."

Len dropped his things, making a loud noise that surprised everyone. They all turned to him to see what fell and waited for him to say something, but he just picked it up without saying a word. Everyone else returned to asking questions about the two, but Luka was still paying attention to Len, who was still picking up his things. She noticed his anger and saw his clenching fist, worrying her.

During lunch time, Luka and Gakupo chose to eat inside for the snow started pouring once again. Rin and Miku joined the couple, but Kaito had to run some errands for the P.E. teacher. Len walked out of the room without saying anything which made Luka worry more.

"I'll be back," she said, excusing herself.

Luka wasn't able to catch up to Len, but she knew where he went. She quickly walked to the rooftop to talk to him and find out what was wrong.

"Len-kun," Luka called out as she opened the door to the rooftop.

She found Len standing by the rail, looking at the village's scenery and feeling the cold wind blow by.

"Leave me alone," he said, not turning around to see who it was.

"Len-kun, please tell me what's—"

"There's nothing wrong."

"Yes, there is!"

Len turns around and walks to her with an irritated face.

"What would you do if I did tell you what was wrong?" he asked, walking closer and closer to her.

"W-well, I-I—"

"You wouldn't do anything, of course. But if I was that Gakupo guy, you'd immediately run to me and solve the problem, wouldn't you."

Len pushed her to the wall, shocking not only her mind but also her body. He grabbed her right hand and put it against the wall.

"L-Len-kun, _i-itai_," Luka said, her face showing pain.

"Go call for him. I'm sure he'll come. You're so weak you have to rely on your good-for-nothing boyfriend. Aren't you just being a burden? You know," Len said, his face moving closer to Luka's.

"I hate people like you."

Without thinking twice, Luka slapped her face, her hand's physical interaction with his face echoing all over the place. Feeling bad for what she did, Luka ran out with tears streaming down her face.

Len was left alone in the rooftop with his mind and expression full of regret and dejection.

"Len-kun _no baka!"_ Luka thought, running down the stairs.

She thought about what happened as she wiped her tears away.

"A burden?" Luka muttered before entering the room.

"I can't be a burden to him or to anyone."

She clenched her fist and took a deep breath. Luka replaced her frown with a smile that would fool everyone.

"Luka-chan, where'd you go?" Miku asked, taking a bite of the _onigiri_.

"Oh, I had to use the bathroom," Luka awkwardly smiled as she blurted out a lie from the top of her head.

Gakupo looked at her as she sat back down beside him. He knew something was wrong, but waited to ask until he was alone with her again.

After lunch, the rest of the day went on normally, but Len wasn't in any of them. Luka, thinking nobody was looking at her, let out her frown while everybody else paid attention to the teacher for she felt really bad about what she had done to Len earlier. Gakupo noticed her wavering feelings as if they were visible, but decided to keep his worry until later.

"Luka," Gakupo said as they walked home together.

"Yes?"

"I know there's something wrong."

"Wh-what? Th-there's nothing wrong," Luka awkwardly smiled with worry inside her mind as she denied the fact that there was something wrong to her.

Gakupo stopped walking so that Luka could start talking. He looked at her with his most serious eyes to try and force her to say what was wrong. Luka looked into his eyes, suddenly crying and breaking down in front of him. He grabbed her hand and wrapped them around his waist as he tightly held onto her.

Luka stopped crying in surprise for everything happened so quickly, but so magical in her mind. The cold wind blew by, but she felt so warm in Gakupo's arms.

"You can tell me anything, Luka. Don't you forget that. If you want to cry, cry. Let it all out if you want. I don't care. I'm here. I'll always be here for you," Gakupo comfortingly said, not letting go of the trembling Luka.

Hearing what Gakupo said, Luka held onto him tighter as she cried her eyes out. She could no longer hold her feelings inside, feeling like she was going to break. All the worry about what's been happening to her ever since the _Yukitsuki no Gishiki_ and what she had done to Len was too much for her to handle. She felt herself trembling not because she was scared, but because she was glad that somebody was there for her.

"What is this feeling?" Luka thought, hearing her heartbeat join Gakupo's.

"Gakupo," she sobbed as her tears kept on flowing out.

"He's strong enough to protect me, yet so gentle that he's able to mend me," she thought as Gakupo held her tighter.

* * *

"I see," Luna calmly said from behind the shut doors.

"That is what I heard from Miku-san," Momo said.

"Let them be," Luna said, smirking.

"After all, this is a part of their inescapable fate. Whether they like it or not, they'll break."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(yuki) Moon (tsuki) Ceremony (gishiki); The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_bento- _homemade lunch box

_omedetou-_ "congratulations"

_itai- _"ouch"

_~no baka- _"you're stupid"


	15. Chapter 15: Yata no Kagami

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 15: _Yata no Kagami_

Luka's voice echoed out through the night as she screamed in pain from having a bad dream. Momo hurriedly ran to her room with a lamp as soon as she heard her screams.

"Luka-sama, are you alright?" Momo asked, quickly barging into her room.

Momo found her sitting up on her futon, her body drenched in sweat. Her eyes were showing fear and shock and her whole body was trembling. Momo kneeled beside her to try and comfort her. Luka hugged Momo as tightly as she could, not being able to say a word in fear.

"Luka-sama, _gomenasai_," Momo thought, stroking Luka's hair.

She waited for Luka to go back to sleep before she left her alone in her room. After she had gone back to sleep, Momo carried the lamp to light her way. Instead of going back to her room, she quietly walked to Luna's room.

"Amane-sama, this is the sixth time she's woken up screaming in the middle of the night," Momo reported, kneeling down after setting the lamp aside.

"She'll be fine."

"But don't you think she's getting hurt, Amane-sama?"

"Momo-san," Luna raised her voice.

Momo shut her mouth, knowing that she had said something she shouldn't have.

"It's all part of the Providence. We can't do anything to revert or change the course of her fate. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Momo went back to bed with a frown on her face. She closed her eyes to rest even if her mind didn't want her to.

The next day, Luka's spirit was taken out of her. Her always-cheerful face was overpowered by her stressed and anxious one. Like always, she walked to school with Gakupo, still not telling him about the dreams that wake her up in the middle of the night.

Luka's mind was full of worry of Len and how their friendship will turn out after what happened a few days ago and the events and visions she saw on the _Yata no Kagami_. To make it worse, the dreams have also added into the things that stress her out.

Luka finally spoke out without revealing the matter about the dreams and the visions from the _Yata no Kagami._

"Gakupo, what's the _Yata no Kagami_?" she asked, her face so pale and dull.

Hearing the question she asked, Gakupo stopped walking in shock, not wanting to answer her. Luka noticed that his breathing got heavier and he was clenching his fist.

"Never mind, I'll just research on it in the library," she said, smiling awkwardly to remove the discomforted atmosphere around them.

"I'm sorry, Luka," Gakupo said, holding her hand.

"I can't answer your question for I don't know enough."

"It's okay. Thanks anyways, Gakupo," she smiled to ease his depression.

They continued walking to school while holding hands. Even if they looked fine on the outside, their minds were full of a lot of things troubling them.

The day was the same like all the other days except that Len didn't come to school once again.

"He said he wasn't feeling well," Rin said, informing all of them.

"He's probably just lazy, right, Luka-chan?" Miku asked, turning to the dozed off Luka.

"Huh? Oh! Y-yeah, it was fun," she answered, her reply not even related to the question Miku asked.

"What's wrong, Luka-chan? Are you feeling well?" Rin asked with concern.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Luka lied.

Gakupo once again noticed her lie, knowing that it had something to do with the _Yata no Kagami_.

After school, Luka told Gakupo to go ahead and go home for she will be going to the library to do some research. Gakupo agreed and told her to be careful, her reply including a smile of reassurance.

As Luka walked along the quiet empty halls, the clacking of her shoes echoing while her mind was still full of things she worries about all the time including what she should look for in the library.

When she reached the library, there was nobody to be found. The librarian wasn't there nor the library monitor. The library was so quiet that Luka could hear her heart beat even if it wasn't even beating really hard.

She walked straight to the isle where the historical books are located. Luka's height wasn't a burden for her for she was quite taller than her age's normal height. She grabbed some books about mythology and the history of their village.

"Hm?" she muttered, seeing a dusty book on the top shelf.

"History of the Amane Shrine," Luka read after dusting the cover.

Luka was so lucky to find a copy of the Amane Shrine's history book. She knew that the original copy would be in the shrine's storehouse, but she also knew that neither her grandmother nor Momo would let her read it.

When she opened the copy, the pages were torn off and were replaced by newspaper articles. She checked the other pages to see if there were some sections left off, but all of them were torn off.

"I guess I'll have to sneak the book out," she told herself, putting the book aside.

She picked up another book from the pile beside her.

"_Yata no Kagami_," she read the book's title.

Luka opened the book, hoping that something valuable might actually be in it even if the book wasn't as thick as she thought it would be.

She skipped a few pages and found a section that talks about what the mirror represents.

"_Yata no Kagami _represents truth and wisdom," she read, looking at the mirror's illustration which was similar to the mirror she used during the _Yukitsuki no Gishiki_.

"It is told that what you see in the _Yata no Kagami_ is the truth for they were mere reflections of what was actually shown," Luka continued, scanning for more informations.

After finishing her research, those were the only ones she found helpful in her case.

"I guess I really do have to sneak the actual book from the storehouse," she thought, returning all the books she took.

Before she placed the '_Yata no Kagami'_ book back, Luka remembered what it said. It was mysterious and strange for she recalled the blurry visions and series of events that appeared on the mirror when the moon shone on it.

"The mirror shows the truth for they were mere reflections of what was actually shown," she said, pushing the book in the shelf.

Luka left after returning all the books, still trying to figure out what the reflections meant. On her way back home, she also tried to look back on the events that were shown in the mirror to see if they would become a little clearer, but with no success.

"_Kimonos_, my friends, and Gakupo and I," Luka thought to herself after she shut her room's door.

"Luka-sama, what would you want for dinner?" Momo asked from the other side of the door.

"Oh, I'm not going to eat, Momo-chan. I'm sorry," Luka replied, changing into her house clothes.

"Oh, okay. Then, just call me if you need anything, Luka-sama."

"Thanks, Momo-chan."

Luka heard Momo's footsteps as she left to go back to wherever she was. She laid down on her futon, staring at the ceiling as the sun set and casted rays of orange light on her walls and ceiling.

"Those series of events…what do they mean?" she asked herself, her eyes slowly closing without her noticing.

* * *

"It seems that we're progressing, aren't we?" Luna announced, looking at the stars and the moon outside with a smirk on her face.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo replied in agreement.

"We'll be free once the Providence becomes a success," Luna said, clenching her fist as if she was grasping the future.

Luna looked out the sky and the moon started turning into a dark-colored blue. The clouds were also thickening and the stars were disappearing.

"We're almost there."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_gomenasai- _"I'm sorry"

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(yuki) Moon (tsuki) Ceremony (gishiki); The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story

_kimono- _Japanese traditional garment


	16. Chapter 16: A Familiar Face

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 16: A Familiar Face

Luka slowly opened her eyes and found the still-sleeping Momo sitting down while leaning on the wall. Her head was bobbing around and her mouth was open. Luka stared at Momo's kind, sleepy face, smiling to the thought of how even the cheerful Momo could look so helpless when she's sleeping.

"Another nightmare, huh?" Luka frowned, remembering how Momo hurriedly came to her room to comfort her in the middle of the night.

Luka got up and quietly put a blanket on Momo so she wouldn't wake up. She opened her closet to pick something to wear because usually, it was Momo that picked up her clothes for the day when there's no school.

"It's been two weeks since I've had a night where I don't wake up screaming in the middle of the night," she thought, dozing off.

Luka remembered the strange, unclear dreams she's been having lately.

* * *

Luka walked around in a dark forest in the middle of the day. The sun wasn't shining and there was nobody around.

"Why is it as dark as night when it's noon?" Luka asked herself, wandering around to find someone.

Luka was dressed in the clothes she wore from her performance of the _kagura_, but she wasn't wearing her crown and she didn't have the mirror.

Out of the blue, Luka heard silent sobs of a girl crying. She walked around to find the source of the cries.

"The cave?" Luka said, hearing the echoes of the cries coming from the cave.

"Umm, is there anybody here?" Luka's voice echoed as she went in with no light.

She walked farther into the cave even if there wasn't anything that lit her way.

"It was all my fault!" the mysterious voice exclaimed, surprising Luka.

"Where are you?" Luka asked.

Suddenly, a small spark of light lit up in front of her, revealing a pink-haired girl dressed as a _miko_ that was crouching down while facing the wall to hide her face.

"Are you the one crying?" Luka asked, walking closer to her.

"It was all my fault!" she cried, shaking her head.

Luka reached her hand out to try and pat the girl's back to comfort her, but the girl stood up and turned around.

"M-me?" Luka exclaimed, seeing the girl's face.

She looked just like Luka.

"It was all my fault," the girl said, her eyes streaming out tears of regret and misery.

Luka looked into her eyes and saw the same forest she was in before she walked into the cave except that horrible things appeared.

They were the corpses of her friends. Miku, Rin, Kaito, Len and even Momo. Luka eyes wandered around to look for Gakupo. Luka was starting to worry for she couldn't find him. She felt a hand reach out to her and touch her shoulder. When Luka turned around, it was Gakupo.

It was a horrible sight for Gakupo's eyes were red, and his voluptuous, purple hair was covered with blood.

"G-Gakupo?" Luka called, reaching her hand out to help him for he was struggling to stand up.

"Even if all of this happened, I still love you," he said, smiling.

Then, Gakupo fell on Luka, causing her to fall to the ground. She felt thick, wet stuff on her hands. When she looked at the ground to see what it was, she found blood.

She was in a sea of blood.

"No!" she screamed, her voice echoing throughout the whole forest.

* * *

"That's been the same dream I've been having lately," she thought, putting on a shirt after dozing off to remember the dream.

After dressing up, she gently shut her door to keep Momo from waking up for she was still soundly asleep. Luka walked down the hallways and passed her grandmother's room.

"Now that I notice it, I've never seen Grandma come out of her room," she thought, stopping in front of the door.

"This is an opportunity!" she exclaimed in her mind, realizing that she could go to the storehouse to find some books that would explain what she saw in the _Yata no Kagami _during the _Yukitsuki no Gishiki_.

She walked out of the _shamusho_ and headed to the west of the shrine where the storehouses are located. The winter's temperature was still pretty harsh, so Luka wore something that would keep her warm if the inside of the storehouse is cold.

Luka was surprised that the storehouse wasn't locked, so she went in without asking for permission. Before she shut the door, she looked for a lamp to use because there were no windows to give her light. When she found one, she immediately shut the door after lighting it up with the matchstick.

"An important book like that must be placed somewhere where it's hard to find," Luka said to herself, scanning through the dusty bookshelves.

Luka found books about the _kagura_ and books about how to cook and other books that weren't really going to help her or give her any clues. After searching for something useful for half an hour, Luka decided to take a peek to see if Momo was awake.

Unfortunately, she was.

Momo was scrubbing the floors of the _shamusho's _front porch, her _haori_'s sleeves pulled up and her hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"Oh no! I have to get out of here without her noticing," Luka panicked, shutting the door again.

She picked up some books that she thought would be useful to her and returned to the _shamusho_ from the back porch where her room was located to keep Momo from seeing her. Luka placed the books inside her bag and decided to go downtown to read them in a café since the school library was closed.

Sadly, Luka had missed the train and the bus wasn't going to come until the afternoon. She was about to lose all hope when suddenly, Neru's father, came by. Luka remembered how he was the one that took them to the other train station to go to the _onsen_.

"Akita-san!" Luka called out, waving her hand.

Luka crossed the road, looking from side to side, to greet the kind man.

"Good morning, Akita-san," Luka smiled, stopping in front of him.

"Good morning, Megurine-san," Neru's father replied with a smile on his face.

"Hmm? He looks just like someone," Luka thought, seeing his smiling face.

"Is there something you might need, Megurine-san?"

"Oh, well…umm, is it okay if you take me downtown with your van?" Luka asked, fidgeting with her hands in shyness.

"Of course."

"Thank you so much, Akita-san!"

"It's okay to call me _'Oji-san_', okay?"

"Okay, _Oji-san_."

"Let's go?"

Luka nodded her head and walked with Neru's father. Luka sat in the passenger seat as they drove downtown.

"Is there a particular place you're going to?" Neru's father asked, glancing at Luka.

"The café."

"I'll take you there, then, okay?"

"Thank you, again, _Oji-san_," Luka smiled, looking at the kindly man's face.

"I know I've seen his face somewhere before! He looks just like someone, but I can't figure out who," Luka thought, carefully looking at him.

"His hair is blonde like his daughter, Neru, but his eyes aren't the same as hers," she observed, staring at his hair and looking at his jade-colored eyes.

When they drove over a speed bump, the dashboard's compartment opened up and a picture came out. Luka picked it up and looked at it.

It was a picture of Neru, her father and her mother. Luka noticed that Neru got her yellow eyes from her mother and her blonde hair from her father.

"Akita-san's mom is really pretty," Luka said, smiling as she looked at her pink hair and yellow eyes.

"Thank you."

"Where is she?"

"She already passed away, Megurine-san."

Upon hearing this, Luka regretted asking such kind of question that would bring back old memories.

"I-I'm sorry, _Oji-san,_" Luka frowned.

"It's okay. I'm sure she's still watching over us," he smiled, stopping the car in front of a café.

"Here we are," he announced, unlocking the car's doors.

"Thank you so much, _Oji-san_," Luka said, returning the picture to him.

"You're welcome, Megurine-san."

Luka came out and shut the door, saying her goodbye and thanks to Neru's father.

"Say 'hi' to her for me, Megurine-san," Neru's father said, driving away.

Luka waved goodbye before she entered the café.

"Her?" Luka muttered in confusion.

* * *

"It seems she'll find out sooner than expected," Luna smirked.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo answered back.

"How long is it until the next full moon?" Luna asked, sipping some tea.

"Not until another month, Amane-sama."

"I see," Luna said, her silhouette showing her putting down her cup of tea.

"The Providence is very close, then."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_kagura- _ancient Shinto dance meaning "god-entertainment"

_miko- _shrine maiden

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(yuki) Moon (tsuki) Ceremony (gishiki); The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story

_shamusho- _a building in the shrine where the family that takes care of the shrine lives

_haori-_ a long white kimono jacket worn by shrine maidens

_onsen- _hot springs

_Oji-san- _Uncle


	17. Chapter 17: Hidden Feelings

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 17: Hidden Feelings

"Those books didn't even help," Luka sighed as she walked to the bus stop to catch the bus that would take her back home.

"All it had were information on the buildings of the shrine and a _miko_'s responsibilities," she said, her face drooping in disappointment.

The bus arrived at the stop earlier than expected, not making Luka wait for a long time. She climbed up the bus, only seeing a few people, but she never would've thought to see Gakupo sitting in the very back of the bus.

"Gakupo!" Luka exclaimed, quickly walking to the back.

"Luka?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

The bus started running and they were on their way back home.

"I had some errands to run," Gakupo said, looking at the books Luka was carrying.

"Were you studying?"

"Oh, no. I was just researching on something," Luka explained, placing the books back into her bag.

"On what?" Gakupo curiously asked.

Luka's smiling face turned into a frown as she thought about the dreams she's been having and the reflection she saw in the _Yata no Kagami_.

"To be honest, I've been having strange dreams lately, Gakupo," Luka confessed, looking at her trembling hands.

Gakupo waited for Luka to tell him the rest before he said something, but he wasn't surprised of what she said.

"I don't know exactly what they mean, but I would always wake up in the middle of the night screaming with my whole body drenched in sweat," she explained, remembering how Momo would always come to her room to comfort her.

Gakupo noticed Luka's trembling hands and looked into her eyes, realizing that the always-cheerful Luka has a fragile and frightened side.

"I've never been this scared before. I don't know why, but a feeling inside me is telling me that something bad will happen," she continued, clenching her fist.

"You were in my dreams, too, Gakupo," Luka said, looking at her purple-haired boyfriend.

"In my dreams, you said 'Even if all this happened, I still love you'," Luka stated, remembering the sea of blood and the dying Gakupo in her dreams.

Without her knowing, a tear strolled down her cheek, making Gakupo's heart ache.

"Luka," he said as he interlocked his fingers with hers, making her look up.

"No matter what happens, I'll always love you, okay?" Gakupo said, wiping her tears away.

Luka wrapped her arms around Gakupo and cried on his shoulder.

"Gakupo," she thought.

"Why is it that you can comfort me with those indigo eyes that are full of misery and sorrow?" she asked herself, still sobbing.

She looked at his eyes once again as the setting sun shone on them.

"What's the reason behind them?" she thought, falling asleep on Gakupo's shoulder.

* * *

"Thank you for escorting me, Gakupo," Luka smiled as the bus left them in the bus stop.

The sun has set and the light blue sky was turning into the shades of Gakupo's eye color. The stars were starting to appear and sooner or later, the moon will greet the night, too.

"Luka," Gakupo said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to him to give her a tight hug.

Luka was surprised, but she felt safe and protected in his arms.

"I'm here for you, okay? If you need anything, come to me," Gakupo said, looking into Luka's aquamarine eyes after giving her a hug.

Luka nodded with a smile to reassure Gakupo that she would be safe. Before they separated ways, Gakupo gave Luka a kiss on the forehead, making her blush and feel like she was in cloud nine. They said their goodbyes and separated ways.

On the way back, Luka smiled as she felt her forehead, still warm from Gakupo's kiss. However, her smile turned into a frown as quick as an eagle after Gakupo's miserable eyes popped up in her mind.

"Will you tell me one day?" she thought to herself, looking at her steps as she walked home under the moonlight.

Out of the blue, Luka heard the dried leaves crackle, stopping her along the way. She knew it wasn't her for she was walking along the dirt path with no dead leaves.

"Wh-who's there?" she called out, her heart thumping inside her chest.

Suddenly, Len, who wasn't wearing the proper clothing for the harsh winter, popped out of nowhere with his body full of bruises and scratches.

"L-Len-kun! Why are you dressed like that?" Luka asked, looking at Len from head to toe.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he wore a _hakama_ and slippers. His arms were bruised and his face had little scratches. Len could no longer stand properly and fell on top of Luka, falling unconscious. She was able to keep on standing up despite of having a hard time supporting Len.

"Len-kun! Len-kun!" Luka called out, her voice echoing.

* * *

Len slowly opened his eyes, feeling something warm being wiped on his face.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked, squinting.

"You're in my room, Len-kun," Luka calmly said, wiping his face with a damp towel.

"What happened to me?"

"You passed out right in front of me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're okay," Luka said, wringing the towel out.

Momo came by her room to pick up the basin with water and immediately left to give the two some time to talk. Luka sat on her knees beside Len while she bandaged some of his wounds. The silence lingered in the room as the two remembered what happened between them in the rooftop.

"Len-kun," Luka said, finishing up the last wound.

Len didn't say anything and waited for her to say something else.

"_Gomen_," Luka said, placing her hands on her lap as she sat on her knees.

"For?" Len asked, not looking at her.

"Being a burden to you," Luka ashamedly replied.

Len frowned for a second, but smirked, surprising Luka.

"You really think I got mad at you over that?" Len asked, sitting up.

Luka tried to help him sit up, but he pushed her hand away.

"Len-kun?" Luka said, confused on why Len was still mad.

After putting on the shirt that Momo brought, Len stood up and fixed the jacket that Momo lend him, too.

"You're really dense, Luka," he said, looking at the shining moon.

"Huh?" Luka wondered, getting up.

"That's why I got mad at you…you're dense when it comes to what other people feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't get it!" Len yelled, turning around to face Luka.

He saw her surprised face, her wide eyes and the shock in them. Her azure eyes lit up in the dark from the moon's rays of light.

"You've never noticed my feelings! Not even once! And then, Gakupo comes and takes you away!" Len roared, bombarding Luka with all the feelings he'd been keeping inside.

"What does Gakupo have that I don't? I did my best to win your heart, but Gakupo still gets it! Why?" Len shouted, clenching his fist a teardrop left his eye.

After seeing the glimmering tear fall off of his face, Luka's eyes started overflowing with tears. She reached out her hand and walked closer to Len, seeing his trembling fist. She tried to hold them to ease his pain away, but was interrupted with the words that shattered their friendship.

"I loved you, Luka," Len cried, taking a step back away from her.

Luka fell to her knees and cried in misery. She knew that it was all her fault. She knew how Len felt for her, but she was scared to admit it to herself, even getting scared of falling for him.

"_Gomen! G-Gomen!_" Luka cried, covering her face to muffle the sounds of her sobs.

"I'm sorry, too, Luka," Len said, walking out of her room and left her crying.

"Were they all true?"

Len turned to find Rin, who heard everything he said, standing by Luka's door.

"I loved her, Rin. Loved," Len emphasized, walking away.

"Should I be happy that you loved her?" she asked herself in worry as she saw his brother cry for the very first time.

* * *

"He failed!" Luna said in anger.

"I asked him to have her fall for him, yet it results to the other way around," Luna stated.

Momo just sat on her knees, respectfully listening to Luna's bickering.

"Well, that's alright," Luna smirked.

"It wasn't his destiny to be with Luka, anyways."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_miko-_ shrine maiden**  
**

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_hakama-_ long, divided, trousers

_gomen- _less formal way of saying "I'm sorry"


	18. Chapter 18: Falling Apart

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 18: Falling Apart

Luka walked to school with no life, still trying to take in everything that was going on around her. Len despised her and her dreams appeared in front of her sight even when she's awake. To add onto it, Rin announced some bad news.

"Len's gone," Rin stated as she walked into the classroom.

"What?" Kaito and Miku exclaimed.

Luka had just walked in with Gakupo when they realized that the three were panicking.

"What's going on?" Luka asked, placing her books on her desk.

"Len-kun's gone!" Miku exclaimed.

Luka looked away for she knew that she was the reason he was gone. She hurt his feelings and crushed his heart.

"Luka, do you know something about this?" Kaito asked, noticing her guilty face.

Luka didn't say anything, irritating Kaito. He wondered why he asked her that question when he clearly knew that Luka did have something to do with it.

"What did you do?" Kaito roared, grabbing Luka's arm.

"Hey!" Gakupo roared back, trying to push Kaito's hand away but to no avail.

"Kaito-kun, let go of her!" Miku said, pulling on his arm when she saw Luka's pained face.

"It's all your fault!" Kaito screamed, making Luka's tears escaped her eyes.

Miku slapped Kaito's face for knowing that he had crossed the line. When Kaito realized that he had lost control of himself and made a scene in the classroom, he noticed Luka's shimmery tears flow down her cheeks and Miku's anxious, raging eyes.

"You're right," Luka said, breaking the silence.

"It was all my fault," Luka continued, her sobs starting to grow louder.

"I'm really sorry."

Luka ran away from her classroom without saying anything else. She didn't know where she was going, but she had an idea on where her feet were leading her to. Then, she opened the door and the white light flashed on her face.

It was the rooftop.

Luka saw the table where they all used to it together. She was on the same rooftop where she, Len, Rin, Miku and Kaito made memories together while getting to know more about each other. She remembered how she was the one that brought Len's _bento_ and how she and Rin would always tease Kaito and Miku about how they would make a cute couple.

Luka sat on her seat, remembering all those memories she made with them before everything started falling apart. Then, out of nowhere, the snow started falling. Luka opened her hand to catch the falling snow and watched it melt on her warm palms.

Suddenly, Luka's dreams appeared in front of her like it was real. The snow turned into blood and when she looked at the ground, it turned into a sea of blood.

"It was all my fault!" a voice called out from nowhere, echoing in her ears.

"Even if all of this happened, I still love you," Gakupo's voice echoed everywhere.

"No!" Luka cried out, covering her ears as she remembered what Gakupo looked like when he was telling her that.

The voices kept on echoing everywhere, frightening Luka and making her cry.

"Just stop! Please!" she begged, her hands still on her ears to muffle the voices, but to no avail.

"Luka?"

When Luka heard the familiar voice, she uncovered her ears and looked to see who it was.

"Kaito-kun," Luka muttered, her wide, frightened eyes showing a hint of relief.

Luka ran to Kaito and hugged him as tight as she could as the pool as her realistic dream slowly vanished everywhere. Kaito had no idea why she was crying or why she was cowering, but he thought that it was all his fault. Feeling bad for what he had done, he tightly hugged the trembling pink-headed girl and stroked her head because he knew that was the least he could do.

"Kaito-kun! Kaito-kun!" Luka kept on crying out his name, her tears landing straight on his polo shirt.

Without their knowing, Miku saw everything, feeling more jealous than relieved. She knew that there was nothing between them, but she didn't trust Kaito. Miku's emotions had always been played with by Kaito, decreasing her trust for him.

"So this is what the Providence could do," Miku said, walking away as she wiped a tear that accidentally slipped away, her fist clenched and her eyes showing jealousy and anxiety.

After Luka calmed down, Kaito apologized for what he said and did to her. He looked at her arm and noticed that the sleeve was still wrinkled from his tight grip.

"Let me see your arm," Kaito requested, holding her arm up.

He pulled her sleeve up to check for any bruises or scars that he may have done earlier. Fortunately, he didn't see any of what he was expecting, but Luka's arms were still red even if his violent action happened awhile back.

"It's okay, Kaito-kun," Luka said, pulling her sleeve back down when she noticed Kaito's regretful eyes.

"But—"

"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's true that it was mine."

"But—"

"He confessed to me."

Kaito, surprised of what Luka blurted out, froze and waited to listen for more.

"Len-kun said that he loved me, but I never realized it. And when Gakupo came, I ignored him."

Luka fidgeted with her fingers as she recalled what happened that night.

"I don't think it's your fault," Kaito said, ending the silence between them.

Luka looked into Kaito's eyes and she knew that he wasn't lying. She was now able to tell when Kaito was lying or not because when he blamed her earlier during the day, she saw his real feelings in his deep-blue eyes. Luka knew that he didn't mean to say those things, but she knew that they were true.

"Len's my childhood friend. We grew up together. He cares a lot about the people he loves especially Rin. His twin sister gets sick easily and I know that he doesn't want to leave her all alone," Kaito narrated with his eyes full of passion.

"But if he really did leave because he was rejected, then just talk it out. I'm sure Len would understand," he continued, giving Luka a gentle smile.

Luka felt confidence and hope in Kaito's smile. She was now determined that she would find Len to talk to him about her feelings and his feelings and definitely get him back for Rin. When Kaito saw her brightening smile once again, he knew that he had been forgiven.

Luka and Kaito walked back into the building and to class. They were lucky that their teacher was absent for today and their class had to be in study hall for the rest of the day.

Unexpectedly, a girl stopped them on their way to class.

It was Miku.

"Kaito," she called out, surprising Luka and Kaito.

"I hate you."

Luka completely heard those words come out of Miku's mouth however, Kaito's fear of knowing what she just said seemed like the sounds didn't reach his ears, but since he was able to tell what Miku said based on her lips' movement, his eyes grew wide in pain and shock.

"Miku," Luka quietly muttered, also shocked of what their teal-haired friend declared.

Before Kaito could say anything, he was shut off by Miku.

"I hate you, Kaito! You always play with my feelings!" Miku yelled out, hitting Kaito's heart with her painful words.

"One day you'd tell me you love me, but then the next, you'll be hugging some other girl and telling them the same exact thing!" she continued, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"_Mou ii!"_

Kaito couldn't do or say anything and had to painfully watch Miku leave with tears down her eyes.

"Kaito," Luka said, turning to Kaito to see if he was okay for his head was down.

"_Daijoubu_, Luka," Kaito smiled with a tear slipping away.

It was the first time she saw a tear come out of a boy's eyes. Luka had never seen it before, but seeing the shimmering tear looked like a broken mirror. It reflected the broken pieces of Kaito's heart.

"Why? Why is everything falling apart?" Luka thought as she watched Kaito walk away with his heart broken into millions of pieces.

* * *

"Amane-sama! This is enough!" Momo exclaimed, clenching her fist.

"Len's gone, Miku's heartbroken, and most of all, Luka's breaking apart!"

"_Damarinasai!_" Luna yelled, making Momo cower back even if she was on the other side of the door.

"This is for all of us, Momo-san. The Providence is to come soon."

"I don't care about it anymore!" Momo talked back, her rage boiling.

"If the Providence fails, you'll lose not only your sister, but your father, too."

After hearing the threat Luna gave her, Momo's eyes widened and her whole body started shaking as she remembered the agonizing memory of her separating from her sister after her mother's death.

"Wh-what…do you…mean?" Momo slowly said, still terrified.

"He's at the hospital, dying."

"But—"

"He's getting worse, however as soon as the Providence becomes successful, he will get better. Your opposing to making the Providence isn't benefiting any of us…Will you still oppose?" Luna smirked.

"No, ma'am," Momo replied, afraid of defying Luna once again.

"Good. I will let you visit your father soon, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"For now, let's patiently wait for the Providence."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_bento- _homemade lunch box

_mou ii- _"Enough already!"

_daijoubu- _"It's fine"

_damarinasai- _"Silence!"


	19. Chapter 19: Pink Daisies & Yellow Tulips

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 19: Pink Daisies and Yellow Tulips

"Everything's fading," Luka thought as she looked at the ceiling of her room.

"Just like the snow…everything's fading as spring comes on its way," Luka said to herself, realizing that there's only one week left until spring.

It had been a week ever since everything started falling apart. Len left to go somewhere they don't know and Kaito hadn't come to school. Even Rin and Miku aren't talking to Luka.

To make everything worse, Luka's dreams had been turning into reality for a moment, stressing her out. She doesn't know when it's going to come or when it's going to go away.

Luka heard a familiar voice when she closed her eyes to rest for a short period of time.

"Akita-san?" Luka thought as she quickly opened her eyes.

Luka got up and rushed to the hallway where she found Neru and Momo talking about something serious.

"Luka-sama?" Momo called out, turning to see Luka quietly approaching them.

"What's going on?" Luka asked.

"Nothing you should know," Neru rudely answered.

"Neru-chan!" Momo scolded.

"I'm leaving now. I'll give you more updates," the blonde-haired Neru said as she walked out the door.

"What happened?" Luka turned to Momo, hoping to get information.

"One of our friend's sick," Momo replied.

"Is your friend okay?"

"I don't really know. I'm planning on visiting him today."

"I see. Do you want me to go with you?"

"It's okay, Luka-sama. I'll be going with Neru-chan."

"Are you sure?"

Momo nodded with a smile on her face.

"On the other hand, Luka-sama, Kamui-san came over and wanted to give you this," Momo said, handing Luka a folded paper.

Luka unfolded it and read the note.

"Luka, if you're not doing anything today, meet me at the bottom of the shrine. Let's go on a date, okay? Gakupo," Luka read, blushing a little.

"I'm guessing you have a date?" Momo said, making Luka blush more.

Luka nodded and ran to her room to change as fast as she could. She ran down the stairs rapidly, yet carefully. Suddenly, she missed a step and almost fell to the ground, but Gakupo came to the rescue and caught her just in time.

"Gakupo!" Luka exclaimed, tightly hugging him.

"Are you alright?" Gakupo asked, putting her back down on her feet.

"Yeah, thanks," Luka nodded, still holding onto Gakupo's sleeve.

They walked together, hand in hand and with smiles of excitement in their faces.

* * *

"I'm leaving, Amane-sama," Momo announced before she left Luna's room.

"Give my regards to him," Luna calmly said, sipping tea.

Momo nodded and left the room. For the first time, she was wearing different clothes besides her _hakama_ and her _haori._ This time, she was wearing western clothes. Momo wore a white, ruffled blouse and a green knee-length skirt with brown ankle boots. She also wore an unbuttoned trench coat over her outfit.

"I'm coming, father," she quietly said, seeing the sun's rays as she walked down the long series of stairs.

* * *

"Wow! It's so good!" Luka exclaimed, taking a bite of the crepes she ordered.

"Thank you for the treat, Gakupo," Luka smiled.

"Of course," Gakupo replied, taking a bite of his own crepes.

They continued eating without saying anything, but Gakupo broke the silence on his own initiative.

"Luka, I have something important to tell you," Gakupo said, putting down his fork.

Luka wiped her mouth when she looked into Gakupo's eyes and realized that it was something serious, but something grabbed her attention that made Gakupo wait until the next opportunity.

"Momo-chan?" Luka said, looking out the window.

Luka saw Momo wearing western clothes for the first time. At first, she thought it was another person, but her pink hair and green eyes gave it away.

"Gakupo-kun, can we save that for later?" Luka asked without trying to be rude.

"Sure," Gakupo kindly replied.

Luka got up and Gakupo followed her after paying for the food. The two secretly followed Momo around town to find out where she was going. Without realizing it, they were already inside the hospital with lots of nurses walking around to attend to their patients.

When Momo entered the elevator, Luka and Gakupo took the stairs and ran as fast as they could. Then, they waited for Momo to come out and again, they followed her to where she was going.

Momo entered a room and forgot to shut the door, giving Luka and Gakupo some view of who was inside.

"_Oji-san_!" Luka thought, her eyes getting wide.

"Momo, I'm glad you came," Neru's father said, watching Momo place the bouquet of pink daisies and yellow tulips in the vase.

"How have you been, _Otou_-_sama_," Momo said, holding Neru's father's hand.

"_Otou-sama?_" thought Luka, astonished of what Momo called him.

"He's doing better, _Nee-chan," _Neru, who was inside the bathroom of the room, came out and greeted the pink-haired _miko._

After hearing what Neru called Momo, Luka finally realized why she felt like she'd seen Neru's father before. Luka recalled that time when she saw a picture of Neru, her mother and her father inside the passenger seat's compartment.

She remembered how Neru got her blonde hair from her father and her yellow eyes from her mother. Luka also remembered the kind, familiar, green eyes that Neru's father has. Now, she knows why she felt like she's seen those green eyes before.

It was because Momo and Neru are sisters.

Momo inherited her mother's beautiful, pink hair and his father's kind, green eyes. What she doesn't understand, though, was why Momo would live with her grandmother, and why her last name was different.

Out of nowhere, Gakupo pulled Luka away from the door. Without asking any questions, Luka knew why Gakupo pulled her out. Moments after they moved away from Neru and Momo's father's room, Momo walked out and caught the closing elevator.

"Thank you, Gakupo," Luka said, her wide, surprised eyes returning back to normal.

"Let's go. I'll take you home," Gakupo said, holding her hands.

The two walked home together in silence since Luka was still processing what she just found out. She couldn't believe that the kind-hearted Momo and the blonde _tsundere_, Neru, are sisters.

"Why do you think she didn't tell me about this?" Luka asked Gakupo.

"I'm sure she has her reasons," Gakupo said, worry starting to creep out of his amethyst eyes.

Luka sighed before she said her goodbye to Gakupo. On her way back to her room, she didn't see Momo, wondering if she was alright. However, before she shut her doors, Luka heard sobs coming from the kitchen.

She quietly walked to the kitchen to see who it was. There, Luka saw Momo looking at the same picture Luka saw in the passenger seat's compartment. Luka was going to come in to comfort her, but was interrupted when she heard Momo talk.

"_Okaa-sama_, please help me. Don't take _Otou-sama_ from me," she sobbed, her green eyes shimmering.

* * *

"Two more weeks and the Providence will be right in our hands," Luna smirked, looking at the moon.

Momo quietly sat on her knees, her eyes a little red from crying.

"Momo-san, don't worry. Your father will be good as new as soon as we fulfill the Providence," Luna said, turning to the door to see Momo's black silhouette.

"All your lies will come to an end soon, Momo-san."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_hakama-_ long, divided, red trousers worn by shrine maidens

_haori-_ a long white kimono jacket worn by shrine maidens

_Oji-san_- Uncle

_Otou-sama- _Father

_Nee-chan- _Older sister

_miko-_ shrine maiden

_tsundere- _a person who is initially cold towards others before gradually showing their warm side over time

_Okaa-sama- _Mother


	20. Chapter 20: Sakura Kiss

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 20: _Sakura _Kiss

Luka woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside. She walked out to her balcony and a warm sunshine greeted her while a breeze brushed by. The trees were starting to get back their green color and the flowers are starting to bloom.

"It's spring!" Luka exclaimed with a joyous smile on her face.

Luka reached her hand for the fluttering purple butterfly to perch on. The butterfly gently stood on Luka's fingers, its tiny legs feeling lightweight as Luka looked at it with amazement in her eyes.

"But everything's gone like the winter snow," her smile turned into a frown as she thought about the recent happenings.

Luka still didn't get any clues about Len's whereabouts, Kaito never came to school, and Rin and Miku avoided her. She also found out that Neru's father, also Momo's father, is very sick in the hospital.

"The only thing I have is Gakupo," Luka sighed, looking at the purple butterfly with lonely eyes as she thought about her purple-haired boyfriend.

The butterfly fluttered away when a sudden knock came out of nowhere.

"Luka-sama, what do you want for breakfast?" Momo asked after knocking on the door three times.

"Sorry, Momo-chan, but I'm eating breakfast with Gakupo," Luka said, returning back inside as she remembered the promise she made with Gakupo before school was out for spring break.

"It's okay, Luka-sama. I'll be cleaning the shrine for today. I hope you have fun with Kamui-san," Momo replied.

"Thanks, Momo-chan."

Luka heard Momo's footsteps as she walked back to where she was. Luka sighed and looked for clothes to wear for her and Gakupo's date. She decided to wear a flowery skirt and a white ruffled shirt with flats. She also braided pieces of hair for a little change. Luka hurriedly ran down the shrine's stairs and met Gakupo below.

Like the normal, they walked together hand in hand with smiles on their faces. However, Luka didn't notice that something was bothering Gakupo. She didn't notice his fake smiles and his wavering.

When they were eating, Luka finally realized that something was bothering him, but she deeply thought about what to say to avoid saying something that would hurt his feelings or make everything worse.

"His eyes are still the same…they're the same eyes that I've always been looking at…they're the same eyes that I fell in love with…the mysterious, agonized, indigo eyes that caught my heart," she thought as she stared into Gakupo's shimmering eyes.

After they ate their breakfast, they decided to walk around town to have fun, but Luka felt like she was the only one enjoying their date for she was now aware of Gakupo's wavering. She was now aware that something wasn't right.

"Gakupo," Luka said as they walked back to the shrine at the end of the day.

The dirt path was better-looking than before for the flowers were starting to bloom along the sides of it. There were white, pink, blue, yellow and purple flowers that are still buds.

"Yes?" Gakupo replied, keeping his eyes on the path.

Luka stopped walking, making him stop for their fingers were entwined between each other's.

"My heart feels heavy," Luka said, her clenched right hand on her heart.

"Why?" Gakupo asked, turning back to look at the pink-haired girl, still holding her hand.

"Because I want to know," she said, looking down on her feet to hide her red face.

"I want to know why your eyes look like you're always in pain!" Luka exclaimed, her head tilting back up to look at Gakupo.

"Ever since I met you…there's something about your eyes that…that captured me…no, not just me, but my soul!" she continued, surprising Gakupo.

"It feels like they were drawing me in…I wanted to know more about you and why your eyes are like that."

Gakupo kept on listening to the blushing Luka's sincere confession. He was surprised and shocked inside, but he kept his calm outside.

"I fell in love with your eyes…wait, no…I fell in love with you!"

Hearing these words, Gakupo couldn't keep his cool anymore and his eyes grew wide. He looked into Luka's glimmering aquamarine eyes and saw her heartfelt feelings that were now overflowing. Out of nowhere, he pulled Luka to him as fast as he could, holding tightly onto her.

Surprised, Luka's eyes were wide and her heart was beating in shock and nervousness.

"I'm sorry for everything I've put you into, Luka," Gakupo said, holding Luka tighter in his arms.

Then, he gently moved Luka's body away from his and lifted her chin up so he could see her eyes. He held her face and slowly leaned his head onto hers. Luka slowly closed her eyes as Gakupo's nose touched hers. Moments after that, their lips gently touched and their hearts beat as one.

Gakupo and Luka shared a passionate kiss as the wind brushed by and blew the _sakuras _to their direction, making the scene sweeter and more romantic than it already was. Luka could hear her heart beating and she felt like it was going to explode. She could feel Gakupo's tender lips on hers while his hand pushed her closer to him.

After sharing a fervent kiss, Gakupo pulled his lips away from Luka's as more _sakuras _came flying by.

"I love you, Luka. You're my world," Gakupo said, his smile overpowering his eyes full of pain.

"Gakupo, I love you, too," Luka replied, hugging him.

They said their goodbyes and went on their separate ways just as the sun went down. Luka blushed all the way back home. Her face was still red for she could still feel Gakupo's lips on hers.

When she sat down on her study desk, she saw the circled date on the calendar, breaking her trance.

"Five more days before my birthday?" she said, smiling.

"I guess I had an early birthday present today, right, _Otou-san, Okaa-san_," Luka smiled, turning to the framed picture of her parents.

* * *

"He's such a foolish man," Luna smirked, folding up her fan.

"Doing those things with her doesn't only help with the Providence's success, but it'll only break both of their hearts."

Momo kept on listening, her eyes showing pity and worry.

"Our sacrifices will finally pay off!" Luna chuckled, giving Momo the chills as the breeze blew the _sakuras._

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_sakura- _cherry blossom

_Otou-san- _Father

_Okaa-san- _Mother


	21. Chapter 21: Moonlit Lake

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 21: Moonlit Lake

"Hm?" Luka muttered, noticing a book in front of the storehouse.

She walked towards the building to pick up the book that Momo might've dropped when she was putting away a tall stack of them. When she picked the book up, Luka felt like she was meant to pick it up.

"What…is this?" she asked herself, examining it.

* * *

"Luka-sama," Momo called out as she knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Luka answered, waking up from her afternoon nap.

Luka remembered that she fell asleep in the middle of the day from reading the book that she found in front of the always-locked storehouse.

"Kamui-san is waiting for you at the front porch. He asked if you could please put on a fancy dress. "

Luka got up as fast as she could when she heard Gakupo's name. Her heart started beating rapidly again when she thought about the passionate kiss she and Gakupo shared, making her shake in nervousness as she picked out her outfit.

She had no idea why Gakupo was asking her to wear a fancy dress to wear, but she was excited and curious at the same time. After getting dressed, she took a deep breath while her fist was on her chest to feel her heart beat.

"I can do this!" Luka cheered herself on.

When she came out, Gakupo was about to start walking down her hallway, but was stopped when she shut her door. Oddly, Gakupo looked at Luka like he had never seen her beauty before. He felt as if she was more beautiful than ever because of the fervent kiss they had, but her dress made her radiance grow brighter.

Luka wore a white, short-long halter dress with a lacey, black belt that embraced her waist, highlighting her curves. She also wore a black choker with a white rose around her pale neck. For her shoes, she wore black, round-toe pumps to complete her outfit. As for her hair, it was still down, but it was styled into big, voluminous curls instead of her usual straight locks. She also applied some glitter on her neck, making her sparkle like the night stars.

"L-Luka," Gakupo stuttered with his eyes wide open as Luka walked towards him.

"Did I overdo it?" Luka worried, noticing Gakupo's shocked state.

"N-no, not at all…y-you're…you're…breathtaking," Gakupo exclaimed, slowly breathing.

Luka's whole face turned red in embarrassment and nervousness, feeling as if she just received a lifetime of compliments. It really meant a lot to her for Gakupo's words always make her heart skip a beat.

"Th-thank you, but I think you look exquisite," Luka smiled, fidgeting with her fingers, still nervous.

Without his knowing, Gakupo's face turned red, too. He cleared his throat and extended out his arm to escort Luka to the place they're going to. The couple took their time to go downstairs to avoid any accidents along the way for Luka was wearing heels. They couldn't say anything to each other for their hearts were beating so loud that it sounded like they were the ones having a conversation.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, a horse-drawn carriage awaited them. It looked magnificent with its golden-colored wheels and swirly borders. The coachman was also wearing a formal suit as he waited for the couple to come in.

"Wow!" Luka exclaimed, seeing the two white horses that would draw the carriage to their destination.

Luka had always dreamed of being drawn in a carriage by two horses and a coachman that guided it to the designated place she wanted to go to. She looked at the horses' beautiful hair that swayed along the spring breeze that blew by along with the pink, fragrant _sakuras._

"Let's go," Gakupo asked, leading her to the carriage.

Gakupo opened the door for the gorgeous Luka and let her go in first. After he came in, he shut the door and signaled the coachman that it was time to go.

Gakupo's happiness was really high for he was able to see Luka's blissful face right in front of him. Luka looked outside the window of the carriage and saw the most beautiful scenery she had ever seen.

"Wow! I didn't even know there was a path like this," she exclaimed, seeing the rows of _sakura _trees along the wide path.

The breeze kept blowing the _sakuras_, making the scenery more breathtaking than it already was. She could see flowers and fresh, green grasses on their way. Luka always thought that these things only happen in fairytales, but Gakupo proved it wrong.

Even if the carriage had been running for almost half an hour now, Luka was still amazed of everything she was seeing. Gakupo had no problem with the ride taking long because he was spending his time looking at Luka's captivating smile.

"I'm glad you like it, Luka," Gakupo thought, smiling.

"Wow! It's a lake!" Luka exclaimed when she saw the lake as the carriage started slowing down.

The lake reflected off the setting sun's orange rays and the majestic sky's blue, purple, pink and orange hues. The carriage stopped by a white, marble gazebo by the lake. Gakupo escorted Luka out, taking her hand to help her get off. She looked at the gazebo, seeing its round roof and pillars with vines of red roses wrapped around it.

The coachman bowed and left Gakupo and Luka with the carriage. Luka was still focused on the beautiful scenery that she didn't notice him leave, not being able to thank him.

"Let's go," Gakupo said, holding Luka's hand and guiding her to the gazebo.

Luka was captivated by the architectural design of the gazebo that she didn't notice what was inside. It was a round table with white table cloth on top and a vase of red roses in the middle. It was a romantic dinner table set for two with rose petals spread all over the table.

"Wow!" the pink-haired beauty exclaimed, looking at the white plates, silver forks, spoons, and knives and the shiny glass filled with red wine.

Gakupo pulled the chair for Luka and pushed it towards the table as soon as she sat down. He sat down and smiled as he clapped his hands twice. Out of nowhere, two well-dressed men came out. One of them held a violin and one held the tray of food.

The waiter placed their foods on their plates with Luka still amazed of what was going on around her. As soon as the waiter left, the lights around the gazebo's pillars lit up for it was dark. The chandelier also lit up, making it brighter.

Gakupo raised up his glass of wine to propose a toast before they start eating.

"_Otanjoubi omedetou_, Luka," Gakupo smiled.

"_Tanjou…bi_?" Luka wondered before she drank her wine.

She just remembered that it was her birthday today. Luka couldn't believe that she was now eighteen years old. With everything being so stressful around her, she hadn't even realized that it was already her birthday even if she knew that it was going to be five days from when she and Gakupo shared their kiss.

Luka let out a tear of happiness for she couldn't believe that Gakupo knew her birthday.

"I asked Momo-san when your birthday was before we became a couple."

"So, you remembered my birthday?"

Gakupo nodded and smiled, putting his glass of wine. Luka was so speechless that they just continued eating while the violinist played _Gymnopedie No. 1 _as the moon and the stars shone on the lake.

After the couple ate their dinner, they walked along the lake to view the stars from the lake's reflection. The lakes ripples made the full moon look exquisite and interesting.

"Gakupo, thank you for everything," Luka said, stopping to look at Gakupo.

His long, purple hair shone under the moon along with his indigo eyes that captivated her heart. Luka noticed that Gakupo's eyes were showing more misery and pain than ever. To avoid creating an awkward moment between them, Luka looked back at the clear lake.

"Isn't the moon just so beautiful," Luka smiled, looking up to see its radiant light.

Gakupo clenched his fist when he heard Luka's compliment to the moon. Out of nowhere, he grabbed Luka's hand and pulled her close to him once again. Even if Gakupo did this to her all the time, Luka was still not used to it for she doesn't know when it's going to happen.

"Luka," Gakupo said giving her a kiss on the lips.

Luka was shocked, her eyes getting wide, but she got used to the warm, soft sensation that Gakupo's lips caused on hers and slightly closed her eyes. However, Luka could still see Gakupo's sad, indigo eyes. She knew that he was in pain, but Luka couldn't do anything for she didn't know what was wrong.

When Gakupo pulled his face away from hers, he tightly hugged her once again in his arms. Suddenly, a tear left his eye when he closed them as he rested his head on Luka's shoulder.

Luka could felt a teardrop run down her bare back, knowing that they were from Gakupo.

"Gakupo, is there something wro—"

"It's over."

Luka hear Gakupo's voice before he pushed her away from him. Luka's wide eyes slipped tears away because she knew what he said, but she couldn't accept it.

"What?" Luka asked not because she didn't hear him, but because she couldn't acknowledge what he said.

"It's over," Gakupo repeated, looking away to avoid Luka's tearing eyes.

Luka's eyes grew wider and the tears finally flowed out as she heard Gakupo repeat his heartbreaking words. The _sakuras _blew by and dropped some on the lake.

"But I loved you," Luka whispered before she ran away without a goodbye.

"I love you, too…Luka," Gakupo said as he clenched his fist with tears down his face

She ran down barefooted down the _sakura_ tree-lined road that they took earlier with tears streaming down her face.

"I thought…you meant forever," Luka thought, her sobs echoing as she kept on running.

* * *

"I knew it would break both of them," smirked Luna, looking at the pale moon.

Momo didn't say anything, but her eyes wanted to scream and cry in sadness and pain.

"I believe this is the most surprising present she's ever had," Luna said, sipping some tea.

"Well, Momo-san, prepare for the Providence is near its glory," Luna smiled, raising her cup of tea.

"Happy birthday, Luka," Luna's evil chuckle echoed in her room, sending chills down Momo's spine.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_sakura- _cherry blossom

_Otanjoubi omedetou- _"Happy birthday"

_Tanjoubi- _birthday

_Gymnopedie No. 1-_ first part of a three-part piano composition written by French composer Erik Satie.


	22. Chapter 22: Scarlet Moon

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 22: Scarlet Moon

"You said you'll always be here for me," Luka thought, still running down the road with tears streaming down her face.

The blooming _sakuras_ never stopped falling and swaying with the wind ever since Gakupo tore Luka's heart apart after he gave her a kiss under the moonlight. Luka kept on running, her feet blistered and scarred, but she could not feel them for her broken heart's pain was far more painful than anything she had ever experienced.

"Since when did 'always' have an expiration date?" she thought to herself, remembering Gakupo's words that comforted her through everything.

* * *

"We're almost there, Momo-san," Luna smirked as she looked at the moon outside her window.

"Yes, ma'am," Momo said, leaving Luna's room after she dropped her tea off.

As Momo walked back to the kitchen to return the tray she used to carry Luna's green tea, she thought of something that she always doubted whenever it comes into mind.

"Is the Providence really going to benefit any of us?" Momo said, pausing in front of the kitchen's door way.

"Are all of our sacrifices going to really pay off?"

* * *

Luka's sobs echoed through the night as she kept on running. Suddenly, the memory of her kiss with Gakupo caused her to lose balance and trip over a rock. A loud thud echoed as Luka fell to the ground. She sat up and yelled out her cries in frustration and agony.

"_Doushite? Doushite?" _Luka roared, putting up her clenched fist to her chest to feel her beating, broken heart.

Out of nowhere, she heard the voice that she always heard in her dreams. Luka looked up to find out where the voice was coming from. She looked at the moon that seemed to be weeping with her, but it wasn't the voice.

"It's my fault," the voice resonated through the wind.

"Where are you?" Luka called out, tears still on her cheeks even if she stopped crying to find out where they voice was coming from.

"It's was all my fault," the voice once again said.

Luka stood up and ran a little more when she began to realize where the voice was coming from. Finally, she found it.

In front of her was a cave so dark that it sent chills down her spine. Luka hesitated to go in, but a spark of light appeared in the middle of the cave, making her curious. She walked in with her trembling hands and shaking body, not knowing what awaits her.

"Who are you?" Luka called out, following the light.

"It was all my fault," the voice called out.

Luka stopped walking when she saw the yellow spark of light move and start approaching her. Her breaths became heavy in terror and nervousness.

"Who is it?" she whispered, her eyes getting wider and wider.

There, it appeared.

It was Luka.

"Another…me?" Luka said in shock.

Luka looked into the other Luka's aquamarine eyes, seeing a dark void that sent more pain to her heart.

"It was all my fault," the other Luka said as she walked closer to the shocked Luka.

The other Luka held the surprised Luka's hand and they both began illuminating, causing the cave to glow, too. Luka's eyes turned yellow as she saw her destiny right in front of her.

* * *

Luna heard the whispering wind blow by, causing her to look up as she put her cup of tea down on the table. She looked at the moon as it slowly turned red and saw its fading rays.

"It has finally begun," Luna smirked.

Momo, who was washing the dishes, also saw the slowly-dimming moon from the small window in front of her. The red color scared her, dropping one of the plates and shattering it.

"Luka-sama," Momo muttered, Luka's face in her thoughts.

Rin and Miku, who decided to finally talk to Luka, walked up the stairs of the shrine, but were interrupted by the changing moon.

"It's here, Miku-chan," Rin said, holding onto Miku's arm in fear.

Miku looked up the sky and noticed that the stars were starting to disappear, too.

"I'm sure Kaito and Len-kun can see this, too," Miku thought as she also held onto Rin.

* * *

"What is this?" Luka thought to herself, seeing the explanations to her dreams and the visions she saw during the _Yukitsuki no Gishiki_.

"This is…what that book…explained," she said to herself, still watching the visions from the other Luka's eyes pass by.

When the visions finished, a surge of energy ran through her body, making the other Luka disappear. Luka screamed in pain from the pressure going through her. She didn't know what was happening, but she could see changes in herself and that she was still glowing.

Her pink hair grew longer, extending to the ground as its color became the lightest shade of pink she ever saw. Her human ears disappeared, replacing it with fox ears on top of her head. The exquisite dress that she wore turned into the most elegant _juunihitoe _she had ever seen.

"What is this?" she thought to herself, seeing all the changes.

Peculiar memories also returned into her mind along with the changes that occurred. Luka felt strange for she didn't even know that they happened. Her agonized cries resonated in the cave as she still felt the power that was surging inside her.

"It hurts," she cried as everything finished with the glow disappearing, returning the peace of the night.

Luka fell on her knees, seeing some long locks of her changed hair in front of her. She kept on panting to chase her breath when suddenly, she noticed the red light from outside the cave. She slowly got up to find out what it was and to her shock, it was the moon.

"What? The moon," she said, seeing the completely red moon.

"Luka."

Someone called out from the dark forest. Luka squinted her eyes to see who it was. She could hear the footsteps coming closer to her. When it was close enough, Luka was able to tell that there were two of them. The two shadows finally came out of the dark forest and the blood-red moon showed their faces.

It was Luna and Momo.

"Grandma?" she exclaimed in surprise.

For the first time in years, Luka finally met her grandmother again. Luka remembered that the last time she saw her was when she was only five years old. She recalled how her grandmother taught her about the shrine and bought her lots of Japanese sweets. Luka loved her grandmother so dearly.

When Luna's face looked clearer under the crimson moonlight, Luka noticed something strange. Her grandmother looked as young as her mother.

Luna had no wrinkles or eye bags and her hair didn't have a single gray strand. Luka was confused, but she knew that it had something to do with the visions she saw inside the other Luka's eyes.

"Grandma, why have you not aged?" she directly asked, not scared of what she might say; after all, she's already experienced too much strangeness that night.

"It's a part of who we are, Luka," Luna smirked.

"Or should I say…_Amaterasu."_

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_sakura- _cherry blossom

_doushite- _why?

_Yukitsuki no Gishiki- _Snow(yuki) Moon (tsuki) Ceremony (gishiki); The Snow Moon Ceremony is a fictional shrine ceremony created for this story

_juunihitoe- _twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan


	23. Chapter 23: The Vow on the Sakura Petal

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 23: The Vow on the _Sakura _Petal

"Let's go home, _Amaterasu_," Luna said, holding Luka's hand.

"No. I'm staying here," Luka replied and pulled her hand from Luna's.

"But—"

"I don't want to return to a place where Gakupo and I shared great memories together," Luka interrupted, looking at the dark cave she decided to stay at.

"Gakupo? I see. She hasn't fully acknowledged it," Luna thought, her eyes showing evil.

"Just return to us as soon as possible, understood?" Luna concernedly requested.

Luka nodded with a fake smile on her face. She watched Luna and Momo's figures fade away as they returned to the road on the other side of the forest.

She walked back inside the cave and sat on her knees in the cave's opening and leaned on the cold wall to obtain some light from the red moon.

"I'm _Amaterasu, _huh," she muttered to herself.

Luka stroked her hair as she remembered the contents of the book that she picked up from in front of the storehouse.

* * *

"Hm?" Luka muttered, noticing a book in front of the storehouse.

She walked towards the building to pick up the book that Momo might've dropped when she was putting away a tall stack of them. When she picked the book up, Luka felt like she was meant to pick it up.

"What…is this?" she asked herself, examining it.

Luka took the book to her room to read it in private. She knew that she would get in trouble with not only Momo, but with her grandmother, too.

When Luka opened the book, she realized that it was older than she thought it was. The book's pages were a shade of yellow, indicating that it's aging.

"This book is about the Amane Shrine's treasured _meg__ami_, _Amaterasu,_" Luka read the first line out loud.

"_Amaterasu _is the sun goddess of Japan. She is a descendant of _Izanagi_. _Amaterasu _is important to the Amane Shrine's history for it is believed that she came down from _Takama no Hara_ to view the _sakuras _that bloom by the shrine," Luka read in her mind, seeing an illustration of _Amaterasu._

"_Amaterasu _has long hair that extended all the way to the ground. She also has a pair of fox ears on her head instead of having human ears. She wears the most beautiful _juunihitoe _that ever existed which also doubled her beauty. _Amaterasu _also has a chrysanthemum symbol on her left wrist and it is unknown whether it's a birthmark or a tattoo."

Luka looked at her left wrist, seeing the chrysanthemum symbol that appeared along with the fox ears earlier that night.

"It was said that there will come a day where _Amaterasu _will come again."

* * *

"I wonder why I'm the goddess," Luka thought, remembering how she didn't get to finish reading the book for she fell asleep.

Luka fell asleep inside the cave's mouth after the long night she's had.

"Gakupo," she whispered as she closed her eyes.

* * *

"_Amaterasu-sama."_

Luka opened her eyes and saw familiar faces. It was Momo dressed in a _juunihitoe_ and the other Luka, lying down on a futon in a big room full of _tatami _walls and floor.

"Another me?" Luka thought, seeing Momo wake up the other Luka.

"Oh, I'm in my dream," she quietly said, remembering that she fell asleep.

"_Amaterasu-sama,_ the _sakuras _are beautifully blooming at the Amane Shrine today," Momo said, helping the other Luka sit up.

"Are we allowed to visit that place, _Toyotama-hime?_" the other Luka asked as she excitedly got up.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then, I shall get ready."

"Do you need my help, _Amaterasu-sama_?"

"I will be alright, thank you."

"Then, please call for me when you are done with the preparations."

"Thank you, _Toyotama-hime."_

Luka figured out that Momo is _Toyotama-hime, _however, she does not know any other information about Momo's true character for she didn't finish the book. She decided to follow her to where she was going to find out more information about her.

Momo entered a room that is located on the west wing of the palace. Inside awaited Rin, also dressed in a _juunihitoe_.

"Kaito-kun?" Luka muttered, surprised that she was involved.

"_Ninigi-dono, _I will be leaving with _Amaterasu-sama _to see the blooming _sakuras_ at the Amane Shrine," Momo announced, bowing to show courtesy.

"Do you need my escorting?" Kaito asked, standing up to bow to Momo, too.

"If it suits you, then please, be our escort," Momo politely replied.

"_Toyotama-hime!" _the other Luka called out from the hallway.

"Let's go, _Toyotama-hime,_" Kaito said, opening the door for her.

The other Luka, Kaito and Momo headed out to the Amane Shrine to view the _sakuras. _Luka followed them to find out where the others are. When they arrived at the shrine, there were also other people that came to see the blooming _sakuras. _

"Who are they?" the other Luka asked, showing Momo and Kaito.

Luka squinted her eyes to get a clear view of who they were, but they were too far away. She looked at Kaito and Momo, seeing worry in their faces.

"You mustn't come near them, _Amaterasu-sama,_" Momo replied, pushing the other Luka away from the people that were there.

Luka thought that it was strange that Momo doesn't want her to mellow with other people. Before Luka walked over to see who those people were, she heard Momo command Kaito.

"_Ninigi-dono_, please inform them that we are here, too," Momo whispered.

Kaito nodded his head and quickly walked to the people that were also at the shrine. Luka followed him to find out more information on why the two groups are avoiding each other.

"Akita-san?" Luka exclaimed, surprised that she was also wearing a _juunihitoe _for Neru was the type who didn't want to wear them.

"Is there something you need from us, _Ninigi-dono?_" Neru asked, approaching Kaito herself so that they would be away from the others.

"I believe you know why I came here, _Tamayori-hime,_ " Kaito frowned, his fist clenched.

"I see," Neru replied with a worried face.

"Who is she?" Kaito asked, interestedly looking at the other girl that was with her.

Luka looked over to see who he was talking about. To her surprise, she saw Miku walking towards Neru, whose pigtails were let loose, her hair almost falling to the ground and making her look more mature.

"That is his new servant, _Konohanasakuya-hime," _Neru replied.

"_Kirei," _Kaito quietly muttered.

"Will you repeat what you said?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I will now return to _Amaterasu-sama_. Please excuse me," Kaito bowed, walking back to Momo.

On his way there, he noticed that Momo was running towards him. Kaito ran faster for he knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong, _Toyotama-hime?" _Kaito asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"_Amaterasu-sama," _Momo panted to catch her breath.

"She's…gone," she continued with a troubled look.

_"_Let us separate and find her," Kaito suggested.

Luka was also surprised to hear Momo, but she decided to look for the other Luka, too. Every time she decided to follow one of them, she would always find out new information, so she ran as fast as she could to find the other Luka before Kaito and Momo.

After running for so long, Luka found the other Luka with someone she didn't want to see.

"Ga..kupo," Luka muttered in surprise.

She watched the other Luka and Gakupo look into each other's eyes for the first time while the _sakuras _sway with the wind. Gakupo looked the same except that he was wearing a royal robe and his hair was down instead of in a ponytail.

A tear left Luka's eyes as she reminisced on the first time she met Gakupo. The other Luka's meeting with Gakupo under the _sakuras _looked just like how Luka met him for the _sakuras _looked just like the first snow that descended down on them.

"_Amaterasu-sama!" _Momo shouted across the forest, still trying to look for her.

The other Luka turned her gaze away from Gakupo's to look for where Momo was.

"I must go," the other Luka said, catching one of the _sakuras._

"Will we see each other again?" Gakupo asked with hope in his indigo eyes.

The other Luka took Gakupo's hand and placed the _sakura _that she caught on the palm of his hand.

"This is a symbol that we will meet again. So long as this doesn't wilt, the vow of our next meeting will remain in my heart," the other Luka gracefully said as she closed his hand.

"But this is only a flower with no root or stem. Won't it wilt and die?" Gakupo asked.

"If you trust me, then it won't. I promise," the other Luka gently smiled as she walked away from Gakupo, leaving him in a trance.

"Until then," Gakupo whispered as she saw her silhouette fade away.

Luka, whose cheeks were still drenched in tears as she watched the other Luka's meeting with Gakupo. She turned around to find the other Luka so she could get away from Gakupo, however, she was stopped when she heard what Neru and Miku called him.

"Are you alright, _Tsukuyomi-sama_?" Neru asked.

"_Tsuku…yomi?" _Luka muttered, her eyes widened to the name that Neru called Gakupo.

Luka turned around to see if they were still there for everything got suddenly quiet, but she found a horrible sight.

It was the sea of blood that she would always see in her previous dreams.

"_Iiya!" _Luka screamed, her voice echoing.

* * *

"Luka!"

Luka woke up from her dream and saw Len squating in front of her. He wore nothing but a _hakama, _the upper half of his body naked. She could still see the red moon on the sky and its dimmed light.

"Luka, are you okay?"

To Len's surprise, Luka hugged him so tight with her trembling body that he fell to the ground. He could feel her heart beating so fast and her tears dropping on his bare back.

"Len-kun! Len-kun!" she kept on crying out his name in fear and relief.

* * *

"Momo-san, I command you to take me back to where Luka is. I know he will be there and he will ruin everything!" Luna angrily roared, clenching her fist.

"As you wish," Momo replied.

"He was a traitor to begin with," Luna said, trying to calm herself.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_sakura- _cherry blossom

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan

_megami- _goddess

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu

_Takama no Hara- _dwelling place of gods and goddesses

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_tatami- _mat made of rice straws

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister

_Ninigi-dono- _Sir Ninigi

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister

_Konohanasakuya-hime- _Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life

_kirei- _pretty

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan

_iiya- _"no"

_hakama- _long, divided trousers


	24. Chapter 24: Together Forever

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 24: Together Forever

Luka, who was still sobbing, put her head on Len's shoulder as they sat together inside the cave's mouth. Len could feel Luka's fox ears touching his neck, but he didn't feel weird about it.

"Len-kun," Luka said, breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah?" answered Len, staring at the cave's dark wall.

"Why is this happening to all of us?"

Len couldn't answer for he didn't know how. All he knows is that it's their destiny and they couldn't change anything about it. He remembered what Luna commanded him, but he knew he had failed. Instead of Luka falling in love with him, it was the other way around. He knew it was wrong because he knew Luka wasn't for her, but he forced his feelings and made him think that everything was right where they belong. This led to his heartbreak, but this made him realize his true destiny, the destiny he can't run away from.

Without Len's knowing, Luka fell back to sleep after all the cries she let out. He wanted to leave her there, but he cared so much for her that he stayed.

"I'm sorry, Luka," Len whispered, holding her hand.

* * *

"I'm in my dream again," Luka told herself when she saw the other Luka.

Like what Luka did from the dream she had before, she watched everything that was going on to learn more about the situation she was dealing with in the reality. The other Luka sat on a marble bench under a _sakura_ tree, catching petals as they fall off the branches.

"_Amaterasu-sama," _Momo called out as she gracefully walked to her.

"Yes?" the other Luka replied, still catching petals.

"You have a visitor."

"Come."

Momo brought a girl wearing a _kazami_ from behind her. The girl bowed to the other Luka with shyness, yet amazed to see the beautiful goddess and the most elegant _juunihitoe_ she had ever seen.

"Oh my, aren't you beautiful?" praised the other Luka, getting up from the bench as she examined the girl in front of her.

"Thank you, it is an honor to see you, _Amaterasu-sama_. My name is _Orihime,_" the girl respectfully replied.

"Rin," Luka muttered, seeing the blonde girl that bowed to the other Luka.

The Rin that she was seeing right now had long, blonde hair that extended to the bottom of her back. She was wearing a beautiful _kazami _and a _sakura _hair pin that kept her bangs from hiding her sparkling blue eyes.

"I have something to talk to you about in private," Rin announced, implying that Momo must leave them alone.

"Excuse my disrespect, but I will not leave _Amaterasu-sama _alone—"

"I will be fine, _Toyotama-hime_," the other Luka interrupted, surprising Momo.

"Please leave us," the other Luka nicely asked.

"As you wish, _Amaterasu-sama."_

Momo left Rin and the other Luka alone under the blossoming _sakura _tree. After reassuring that nobody else was there to listen to their private conversation, the other Luka invited Rin to sit down with her on the bench. When they sat down, Rin took the _sakura _hairpin off of her hair and showed it to the other Luka.

"_Amaterasu-sama, _this is from _Tsukuyomi-sama_," she said, gently handing it to the pink-haired goddess.

"_Tsukuyomi," _the other Luka smiled as she held the pin close to her heart.

"Please forgive me for wearing it on my hair. It was a special object only meant to be worn on your beautiful hair, but I had no choice but to put it on for it seems that your security is really high," Rin explained with a sad face.

"_Orihime, _thank you for all the trouble you went through just to give this to me. I appreciated your hard work and would like to grant you a wish," the other Luka replied, patting Rin's arm.

"Really?" Rin exclaimed.

The other Luka nodded, making Rin's eyes sparkle.

"Well, I have a lover that I've loved since forever. He and I are now together, but since the palaces needed more servants, he and I volunteered, thinking that we would both be in the same palace. Sadly, as you can see, I am now your new servant and he's at the other palace. I want to be with him forever, but it seems that it won't be possible for he and I vowed to be faithful servants to both palaces," Rin explained, hope peeking in her eyes.

"I see," the other Luka said, looking at the scenery to think about it.

The other Luka learned that the servants of the palace aren't allowed to meet anyone from the other palace unless it was ordered by the head of the palace. She knew that sending Rin to the other palace all the time would cause commotion and suspicions.

"Will you be able to help us?" Rin asked after a long silence.

"Please kneel before me, _Orihime_," the other Luka kindly asked as she got up.

Rin did what she was told and humbly got on the ground and kneeled before her, even bowing and putting her head on the back of her hand that was on the ground's surface. Suddenly, a flash appeared and a sword appeared in the goddess' right hand.

"I, _Amaterasu, _goddess of the sun," the other Luka said, slitting her wrist with the sword.

"Vow to keep you and your lover together forever and never apart," the other Luka said, her blood turning into magic dust that covered the sword's blade.

"Nothing, not even death, can separate your two passionate hearts," she continued, placing the blade's surface on top of Rin's head.

"And I vow to you that once a year, with the help of the light that I shine throughout the universe, a bridge will be formed so that the two of you can meet and spend a whole day together with no interruptions or violations," she smiled, finishing her promise by raising the sword's tip to the sky.

A light appeared and the _sakuras_ rained on them. Rin hugged the goddess as soon as her sword disappeared, shocking her.

"Thank you so much, _Amaterasu-sama_! Thank you!" Rin exclaimed with tears of happiness coming out of her eyes.

The other Luka smiled, putting her arms around the girl. The other Luka explained that the bridge that will appear once a year will always be on the date of the goddess' birthday. Rin was delighted and happily went back to her chamber, leaving the goddess a time to be alone with the hairpin that her lover gave her.

"_Tsukuyomi," _the other Luka muttered, looking at the pin with a smile on her face.

Luka's eyes slipped tears out to her cheeks as she thought about the reality of Gakupo's being gone from her while she watched the other Luka smile with the joy of being in love.

* * *

Len felt Luka's tears stream down his bare shoulder and wiped it away, feeling sorry that she was carrying the burden of all that was happening alone by herself. When he looked outside the cave, he heard rustles of the bushes and saw the leaves rattle.

He gently laid Luka's head on the ground when he saw two shadows approaching the cave. He wanted to meet the two shadows before they get near the cave so that Luka wouldn't wake up.

"_Dare da_?" Len bravely asked, drawing the sword he had been hiding from Luka.

"Put it down. It's me."

Luna appeared under the red moon with a sinister look. With her was the loyal Momowho stood a step back from lowered his sword, but still clenched onto it just in case something happens.

"What did you tell her?" asked Luna, getting straight to the point.

"I didn't tell her anything."

"You're a traitor!"

"Do you really think I'm going to help her?"

This made Luna think twice for she was unsure whether she had misjudged Len.

"She broke my heart. Why do you think I'd help her?" Len asked, clenching onto his sword.

Momo stood behind Luna, surprised and worried, but still kept her straight face in fear of getting scolded at.

"You made a good choice," Luna smirked, walking towards the cave.

Momo and Len followed her quietly to keep Luka from waking up. They watched Luna put a hand on Luka's forehead and watch a small glow of light appear.

"I see. Her dreams are coming to an end," Luna announced, seeing some of Luka's dreams.

"It seems that the Providence is to come the day after tomorrow," Luna smirked, the glow of light disappearing as she walked out of the cave to view the red moon.

"Is the Providence going to be like the past?" Len asked with curiosity.

"Well, it's a lot better than the past."

Luna menacingly laughed as she thought about the upcoming success of the Providence.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_sakura-_ cherry blossom**  
**

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan

_kazami- _layered silk robe that were worn by noble women from the Heian Period

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess

_Toyotama-hime_- Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan

_dare da- _"Who is it?"


	25. Chapter 25: Past, Mistakes and Revenge

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 25: Past, Mistakes and Revenge

"Len, give me your hand," Luna said as she drew out her sword that shone under the crimson moon.

Len reached out his hand to Luna and she slit a small cut on the palm of his and her hand. Luna shook his hand and their bloods combined, a glow of light appearing.

"Since you have turned against Luka, I will use you as one of my servants. With this, you will not be able to betray me. If you are to betray me, death will immediately follow," Luna explained as the light disappeared.

"The Providence is the day that _Amaterasu _is to come out of the cave and shine her light to wash away the darkness that shrouded the universe when she entered the cave and hid her light," Luna started to narrate as she looked at the moon with Len and Momo both carefully listening to her.

"Momo-san, do you know who your true self is?" Luna asked, surprising Luka.

"_Toyotama-hime_," Momo answered quietly as if she was ashamed to admit it.

"Len, all of us are either gods, goddesses or deities before _Amaterasu _hid inside the cave. They're called our true selves. The happenings before the first Providence when we were still gods, goddesses, and deities are called the Sacred Occurrences. Before I tell you about the first Providence, I want you to know what happened during the Sacred Occurrences," Luna said.

Momo, who had known the sad truth since the day she was separated from her sister, couldn't bear to hear the story, but had no choice but to listen to it.

"_Izanagi _and _Izanami _were the first deities of this country. They were a married couple, but tragedy befell on them. _Izanami _died when she gave birth to their first child who was sent to _Takama no Hara_. _Izanagi_, who felt lonely without his wife or child, went down to _Yomi _to retrieve _Izanami_, but when he saw her hideous, decaying form, he ran away and didn't want to return anymore. _Izanami _cursed their descendants and told _Izanagi _that there will come a day where all of his people will die because of the heartbreak of their life source," Luna narrated, remembering the past.

"_Izanagi's _people's life sources were the sun goddess, _Amaterasu_, and the moon god, _Tsukuyomi._ _Izanagi _searched for servants for the two so that the curse would be kept from their knowing. The first servants were the inseparable sisters, _Toyotama-hime _who became _Amaterasu's _servant,and _Tamayori-hime_, who became _Tsukuyomi's,_" Luna turned to Momo who dozed off into her still-blurry memories.

Momo knew that after her mother's death, she was taken away from her sister by Luna. Neru, who was still a little girl, didn't know about their relationship until Luka moved to their village. Neru didn't even make any guesses on whether they're related or not for Neru never saw their mother.

Neru's mother, who died due to an illness, looked just like Momo because they both had a beautiful shade of pink-colored hair. Momo inherited her kind, green eyes from her father and the pastel hair from her mother while Neru inherited her mother's yellow eyes and her father's blonde hair.

"If they were inseparable, how did they end up on separate palaces?" asked Len.

"Their mother sacrificed herself to the oracles to be able to separate them and their father offered some of his powers, too. This was the reason why their father became sickly and relied on _Amaterasu's _sunlight to help him," Luna explained.

"Then, came _Ninigi _and _Konohanasakuya-hime_. They fell in love at first sight when _Amaterasu _and _Tsukuyomi _came down to the Amane Shrine to view the blooming _sakuras," _Luna continued.

"The last ones were _Orihime _and _Hikoboshi, _who promised to never be separated, so they volunteered to be servants, thinking that they would end up serving in the same palace, but _Hikoboshi _became _Tsukuyomi's _and _Orihime_ became _Amaterasu's. _The main servants from the two palaces weren't allowed to see each other unless it was an emergency. With the help of _Amaterasu, _they were able to see each other once a year on her birthday with the help of her rays that form a bridge for them. During that day of the year, they are able to be together without getting interrupted or violating the rules."

Len knew who Luna was talking about because unclear memories rushed in his mind. He knew that his true self was _Hikoboshi _and Rin's true self was _Orihime_.

"_Amaterasu _and _Tsukuyomi _met one day and they began to fall in love without knowing about the curse. They had no clue that their love was forbidden and nobody was harmed, but one day, an admirer of _Amaterasu's _became jealous when he found out that she loved _Tsukuyomi_ and told her that they can never be together for their love was cursed and it was forbidden. Due to this, _Amaterasu _was heartbroken and hid inside the cave called _Ama no Iwato," _Luna explained, looking at the cave where Luka was in.

"Each of the servants from both side of the palaces had to sacrifice something in the end. However, you must learn about your own sacrifices yourself," Luna seriously said, looking at Momo and Len.

"Days after _Amaterasu's _hiding, the first Providence was supposed to happen with the help of _Tsukuyomi. _Using his powers to reflect his face on the _Yata no Kagami_, he was supposed to lure out _Amaterasu, _but his getting heartbroken was also too much for him that he locked himself away. Months have passed and the sun goddess never came out, shrouding the whole universe into complete darkness. Just like what _Izanami _said, _Izanagi_'s people started dying because of the heartbreak of their life source. When _Izanami _heard of the news, she came out from _Yomi _and saw the darkness that she thought was the most precious thing she had ever seen, but _Izanagi _performed a ritual and sacrificed himself to make a fresh start," Luna narrated, remembering everything that happened.

"_Izanami _tried to stop him from doing the ritual, but she was too late. Much to her surprise, she was caught in the process which brought her here to the new generation of the Sacred Occurrences, where the involved gods, goddesses, and deities were turned into humans with knowing only the smallest clues about their true selves. _Izanagi _created the new generation of the Sacred Occurrences so that the mistakes that were made on the past would be fixed."

"So, _Amaterasu _is Luka and _Tsukuyomi _is Gakupo. Momo-san is _Toyotama-hime _and her sister, Neru-san is _Tamayori-hime. _I'm guessing Kaito is _Ninigi _and _Konohanasakuya-hime _is Miku. I know that I'm _Hikoboshi _and Rin is _Orihime_," Len thought, staring at the moon.

"But who's _Izanami?_" Len asked out loud with full curiosity.

"You're looking at her," Luna smirked.

"Just like I said, _Izanami _got caught in the ritual of making the new generation of the Sacred Occurrences that consisted of the humans that were once gods, goddesses, or deities, but I'm not human."

Hearing this, Momo and Len was shocked for they never thought that Luna had been _Izanami _all along.

"Luka's grandmother, Luna, never existed. Why do you think I hid myself inside that room? I never aged. I never changed. I've always looked the same ever since the first Sacred Occurrences," Luna sinisterly smiled.

"_Demo, kurushikatta wa," _Luna said as she clenched her fist.

"I was alone in there and I had to wait for all of you to grow up and learn about your destinies. It was like I was back in _Yomi, _but it was harder because I was all alone. I had no one to be there for me."

Momo felt bad to hear about Luna's painful past. Luna came up to Momo and stroked her hair.

"Don't worry, Momo-san. After the second Providence, I will feel much better," Luna said with a menacing smile on her face, shocking and worrying Len and Momo.

"I'm going to get revenge on my selfish husband."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi

_Takama no Hara-_ dwelling place of gods and goddesses

_Yomi- _the underworld

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister

_Ninigi- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime

_Konohanasakuya-hime- _Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life

_sakura- _cherry blossom

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight

_Ama no Iwato- _heavenly rock cave

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_demo- _but

_kurushikatta wa- _it was painful


	26. Chapter 26: Care and Regret

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 26: Care and Regret

"Gakupo! Where are you?" Len thought as he ran through the woods under the blood-red moonlight.

He thought about what Luna told him moments before he ran away from the cave to find Gakupo.

* * *

"Don't worry, Momo-san. After the second Providence, I will feel much better," Luna said with a menacing smile on her face, shocking and worrying Len and Momo.

"I'm going to get revenge on my selfish husband."

Luna stroked Momo's hair as she looked at her with evil eyes.

"What do you mean?" asked Len, a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek from all the suspense.

"Once Luka gets out of the _Ama no Iwato_, all of your memories of being human would be gone. You would all remember the sacrifices that you made just to protect her. Luka will get out of that cave as _Amaterasu_ with her beautiful ray of sunshine," Luna said with a hopeful smile.

"But, I'm going to obtain her powers and kill my husband," she continued, her smile being overpowered with the scariest grin.

"How will you obtain her powers?" Len asked, clenching his fist.

"I'll kill her, of course," Luna stated as if it was nothing important.

Momo gasped to what Luna shared, realizing that all her lies to help the Providence become a success would lead to the death of her dearest friend. Len kept his cool, remembering that he had already made a pact with Luna that he would never betray her.

"I see," Len replied.

"Len, I want you to stay here and keep watch while Momo-san and I get ready for the Providence that will be occurring very soon," Momo said, turning away from the cave and walking away.

Momo followed her without saying a word in fear of getting hurt over something small while Len did as he was told. He watched their silhouettes fade away as they returned to the shrine.

Len looked into the cave, remembering that Luka was still asleep, however he saw nobody. He didn't find Luka's sleeping body on the ground where he left her.

"Could she have heard everything?" he thought.

To make sure, he walked into the cave to look for Luka. When he saw a small spark of light, he followed it, not minding what he was stepping on.

"Luka?" he called out, making sure that it was her.

He finally got close enough and realized that it wasn't a candle or a flame that was causing the small spark of light. It was the memories that Luka was watching that would complete her transformation into _Amaterasu _and would complete the Providence. He didn't want her to make the Providence a success for he knew that Luna was planning on killing her.

"Luka! _Dame!_" Len exclaimed as he ran to Luka to cut her off of the trance.

Len gasped when he saw the lifeless yellow eyes that replaced the beautiful shade of blue that her eyes once had. He shook her body to try and break wake her up from the dangerous trance, but it was useless.

"_Tsukuyomi_ never came because of his painful heartbreak," Len told himself as he doze off to remember what Luna said about the cause of the first Providence's failure.

When he looked over at Luka, he saw his face in the soundless memories that she was watching. He didn't know why his face was there so he continued watching to find some more clues about himself.

"That's me—no, it's my true self, _Hikoboshi_," he thought, looking at the bright memories.

He saw himself clench his fist when Luka told him something with her cheerful face. Then, he saw him yell at Luka which caused her to cry with her shocked eyes and trembling hands. She ran away from him and ran to the cave where she hid for thousands of years.

When Len realized what his true self had done, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. His eyes widened in surprise while his hands quivered in fear.

"I'm the admirer that told _Amaterasu_ about her forbidden love with _Tsukuyomi,_" Len said, mortified.

* * *

"It was my fault that all of this is happening," Len thought, panting as he ran faster.

"I shouldn't have fallen for Luka."

Suddenly, Len felt another sharp pain in his heart which caused him to stop running. He covered his mouth when he started coughing hard. When he felt something on the palm of his hand, he held it out to see splotches of blood on his palm.

He was surprised and scared, but he kept on running for he knew that what Luka will be going through would be more painful if he doesn't make it in time. Len kept on running despite of what he saw. On his way, he found Miku and Rin walking together under the red moonlight.

"Rin!" Len yelled out, surprising the two.

"Len?" Rin called back.

Len and Rin ran to each other for they couldn't wait to see each other again. They exchanged hugs with each other while their hearts beat together.

"Rin, are you alright?" Len asked as he stroked her hair way from her face.

Rin nodded with her shimmering eyes and relieved smile.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I've been okay. Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Do you understand our situation, Len-kun?" Miku asked as she approached the siblings.

"Yes, _Konohanasakuya-hime,_" he said, calling Miku by her true self's name.

With what she heard, she knew that Len was informed enough of what was going on.

"Is Luka-chan with you?" Rin asked with hopeful eyes.

"No, why?"

"Well, I wanted to apologize for ignoring her because of everything that had been going on ever since you left. I shouldn't have ignored her," Rin replied, handing Len a sheet of paper with writings.

Len read the letter, realizing that it was from Luka.

"Dear Rin, I'm sorry for everything that I've done. I'm sorry that I was the reason why your relationship with Len-kun got bad and I'm sorry for being the cause of his running away. But I want to let you know that when he gets back, I will assure you that I'll be gone away from here. I'll probably return to the city where I came from so that I wouldn't be a bother anymore. I heard some of our classmates say that you thought it was your fault that Len-kun was gone, but I want to assure you that you're wrong. Len-kun loves you more than anything in this world. Why do I know that, you ask? Whenever I look at him when he's talking to you, I can see his eyes shining even in the dark. He looks really happy whenever you talk to him. I know that he loves you so much and I don't want to ruin anything that both of you worked hard on, so I'm really sorry. Please forgive me. Take care always. Sincerely, Luka," Len read in his mind, his eyes rolling from one side to the other.

He looked at Rin, whose hopeful eyes shimmered under the moonlight, and realized that Luka was right. Luka was right about how he was really in love with Rin. He looked back on the past and realized that the only reason why he thought he was in love with Luka was because he didn't want to accept that he was in love with his own sister because of the fear of taboo. Len realized that Luka wanted him to acknowledge his feelings for Rin because Luka wanted neither of the twins to get hurt.

Len clenched the written letter in his hand in frustration and regret for he knew that he was the one at fault. He knew that he had hurt Luka more than anybody else. Len knew how much he made Luka worry and how much she cared for him through the letter that she left for Rin. Len looked down on the ground when he started tearing up to hide it.

"Rin, I'll be back," Len said, returning the letter to her after he pulled himself together.

"Where are you going?" Miku asked as she watched him run off.

"I'm going to help Luka!" he yelled back.

Rin and Miku watched Len disappear through the forest, not knowing when they'll ever see him again especially with the circumstances they were in.

"You cared so much about me and yet, all I did was hurt you," Len thought with Luka's face in his mind.

"I'll protect you, Luka. I'll show you that all the things that you've done for us won't go to waste."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Ama no Iwato- _heavenly rock cave

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan

_dame- _"Don't!"

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight

_Konohanasakuya-hime- _Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life


	27. Chapter 27: Black Pearl in Cobalt Eyes

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 27: The Black Pearl in the Cobalt Eyes

Len finally found Gakupo after running for such a long time under the scarlet moon. However, he didn't expect him to be with someone. He could only see their silhouettes, but he knew who the person with Gakupo was for he could hear his yelling at Gakupo.

"Kaito?" Len thought, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Why? Why would you do this to her, you bastard?" Kaito yelled, grabbing Gakupo by his collar.

Len knew it was a bad time for him to get in the way, so he hid behind the bushes to hear what they were talking about and know more about the situation in front of him.

"Why would you break Luka's heart? Answer me, you bastard!" Kaito madly roared.

Gakupo couldn't look at Kaito straight in the eyes for he could see Kaito's rage for him and care for Luka. Kaito, starting to get annoyed, clenched his fist and asked Gakupo one last time, still not getting an answer. With his temper full, Kaito punched Gakupo's face, sending him to fall to the ground.

"Do you know what she's going through right now? Do you know how much she's hurting all because of you?" Kaito breathed heavily in anger, his fists still clenched.

"Yes…I do," Gakupo finally talked, his eyes kept on the ground.

Kaito and Len were both surprised of Gakupo's reply. They didn't understand why Gakupo would know how Luka feels when he was the one that broke her heart.

"How painful do you think it is for me to break the heart of the only person I've loved and cared for?" Gakupo asked as he clenched the soil in his fist.

"Loved and cared for?" Kaito thought in surprise and confusion.

"I didn't wish for all these things to happen. I didn't want to meet Luka because I didn't want to hurt her. I already knew my fate even before I met all of you," Gakupo said, remembering how he, Kaito, Len, Miku and Rin became friends when they were still little.

Gakupo remembered how he moved in to the village where he met the four of them when they were still in elementary school. They were close to each other and they would play a lot after school and during the weekends. Gakupo wished for all of it to stay the same, but he already knew that there'll be a time that he would have to betray all of them.

Gakupo reminisced what happened before he came to the village and the reason why he left months before Luka moved.

"I already knew of my bitter fate ever since I was still a little child," Gakupo started to narrate of his past.

* * *

"_Otou-sama?"_ the little Gakupo thought, seeing blood overflow out of his grandfather's mouth and stomach.

"Gakupo, don't be scared…of your…inevitable fate," Gakupo's father said as he stroked the young boy's head.

"You're a strong man...take this…with you…and you'll learn…about the truth," the dying man said as he covered his right eye with his right bloody hand.

Gakupo's father's right eye started glowing behind his hand, striking Gakupo with awe. When his father held out his hand, a black pearl was lying on his bloody palm. The man held it in front of Gakupo's cobalt eyes while he whispered a spell that quickly sent the pearl into Gakupo's eye without getting him hurt. Gakupo didn't shut his eyes and watched his father stand up to the woman that shoved the sharp sword through his stomach.

"_Izanami…_your plan…will fail!" Gakupo's dying father said with full confidence.

"My son…_Tsukuyomi_…will defeat you!"

When _Izanami, _the woman dressed in _miko_ attire, heard the last thing he said, she arrogantly smirked with evil in her hidden eyes and flew to him to shove the sword into his body for one last time.

Knowing what _Izanami_ was going to do, Gakupo's father turned around and whispered a spell that made Gakupo glow and disappear.

"I love you, son," the little Gakupo heard as he saw his father die in front of him while he glowed and disappeared.

When the little Gakupo opened his eyes, he wasn't in the place where he was anymore. He was in front of a lake with a white gazebo built by its shore.

"_Otou-sama?_" the young Gakupo called out, looking everywhere.

He turned away from the lake and started walking down the road with worry and fright in his eyes. He didn't know what he would do if no one comes to rescue him. The purple-haired kid walked down the road all alone while the setting sun shone its orange rays.

The young boy was starting to get scared more and more for it was getting dark. When he was about to just give up and close his eyes, a woman came along and called out his name.

"Gakupo," the woman said, stretching out her hand.

Gakupo looked up and opened his eyes to see a lady with beautiful, light blonde hair that flowed with the wind.

"I'm here to be with you," she said with a kind, warm smile that brightened up Gakupo's mood.

"Who…are you?" the young boy asked in awe.

"I'm Luna. Luna Amane."

* * *

"Luna took me in to the shrine and raised me there where I met all of you," Gakupo continued to narrate.

"However, before I met all of you, I had already seen my fate. That same night when Luna first took me in, the black pearl that my father placed in my eye with his spell came out and shone, the color turning white. Suddenly, a transparent man came out dressed in ancient clothing," Gakupo said as he continued to reminisce the past.

* * *

"Who are you?" Gakupo asked, seeing the apparition in front of him.

"I am _Izanagi_, your ancestor," the apparition said as he floated on air.

"Listen to me, young boy. You are _Tsukuyomi,_ god of the moon. The reason why you are a human is because of my sacrifice to correct the mistakes that you made along with the sun goddess, _Amaterasu_, and the other deities. They, too, have been turned into humans. Because of your forbidden love, the universe was sent into utter darkness because of your and _Amaterasu's _broken hearts. She ran to the _Ama no Iwato_ and hid there, bathing the universe in darkness that killed thousands of my people. The forbidden love was caused by my deceased wife, _Izanami_."

The young Gakupo couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was still a young child, but he could already feel the heavy weight of the responsibility that was being put on his shoulders. Even if he was panicking inside, he knew he had to be strong for his father said that he was a strong man. He wanted to believe his father and so, he continued to listen to the transparent _Izanagi_ in front of him while he sat on his futon in the middle of the night.

"What happened back then with you, _Amaterasu, Toyotama-hime, Tamayori-hime, Ninigi, Konohanasakuya-hime, Orihime _and _Hikoboshi _were called the Sacred Occurrences. It will repeat again in another form while you, the sun goddess, and the rest of the deities are humans including the Providence. That is the reason why I want you to correct your actions," the apparition continued.

"The Providence is the day that _Amaterasu _will come out of the cave with your help, however, the first Providence failed because of your heartbreak. You couldn't bear your heartbreak, therefore, you locked yourself up which kept the Providence from happening. Since the Sacred Occurrences will happen again, the Providence will surely come again."

"Umm…does _Amaterasu _know about this?" the young Gakupo asked.

The apparition shook his head, shocking Gakupo.

"You are the only one who knows about this because I want you to keep your heart from breaking to make the Providence successful when the time comes," _Izanagi _replied.

"How do I keep my heart from breaking?"

"I want you to break _Amaterasu's _heart."

"But—"

"You must not fall in love with her or the Providence will fail once again. _Amaterasu_ must fall in love with you and when the time that she's deeply in love with you, you must break her heart to send her to _Ama no Iwato_ where she will learn about her fate. When she learns of her fate, every human-turned deity will be returned back into their true selves. Then, you must go to the cave and use your powers and the _Yata no Kagami _to lure her out and bring sunlight out to darkened universe. If you are to fail, the universe will remain in darkness with no hope left."

Even at such a young age, Gakupo already knew that he's going to break an innocent girl's heart whether he liked it or not. Before Gakupo could ask another question, _Izanagi _had already disappeared.

* * *

"After that night, I became more and more sensitive of everyone around me," Gakupo continued.

"I didn't want to fall in love with whoever _Amaterasu _was for I know what will happen if I were to fail _Izanagi's _command. Then, I met all of you when school started. We became good friends and I started forgetting about the command he had given me. I didn't want any of those times to end," Gakupo said, still looking at the ground as he remembered those times he had with his friends.

Kaito also remembered how fun it was to be with Gakupo and the rest of his friends. He remembered how during lunch time, they would go up to the roof where there was a table and seats for five. Luka once asked him why there were five seats when there were only four of them before she came and during that time, he didn't want to answer her because he didn't want to face the truth. Now, he knows what he should've told her. He should've told her that Gakupo was once their closest friend.

"Then why did you run away?" Kaito bravely asked.

"Why did you run away months before Luka came here?"

"Because I found out about the truth," Gakupo replied, finally looking up to see Kaito's shocked face.

"I found out that Luna and _Izanami _are the same person."

Gakupo recalled that day when he turned eighteen years old. It was about nine months before Luka moved to the shrine.

* * *

"_O tanjoubi omedetou, _Gakupo-kun!" Miku and Rin synchronically said with bright smiles on their faces as they brought the cake out to the rooftop for them to eat.

"Happy birthday, Gakupo," Kaito and Len said, coming in with the two girls.

"Thank you, everyone," Gakupo smiled.

"Did you bake the cake for me?"

"Yeah. You better feel special because I did my best on this," Rin replied, teasingly nudging Gakupo.

"Here, Gakupo-kun," Miku said, handing him a rectangular box.

When Gakupo opened, there were red, shiny chopsticks lying inside the long box.

"You love eating, so I bought you chopsticks, but these ones are special because you can use them to put your long, purple hair up," Miku revealed the reason why she gave him chopsticks for his gift as he examined it.

"Thank you so much, everyone," Gakupo gently smiled.

Everyone enjoyed the cake during their lunch time in school. Even if it was just a small celebration for his eighteenth birthday, Gakupo still felt happier than ever because he was able to celebrate it with the people that he had known for almost nine years.

After school, Gakupo decided to come home early for he wanted to spend time with Luna, who locked herself up in her room when Gakupo turned fourteen. It had been four years since he last saw her face. Gakupo thought she was beautiful whenever he saw her for the first time when he was nine years old, but when he learned about his fate, he was scared to fall in love with Luna for he doesn't know if she was _Amaterasu _or not.

When he got home, he didn't get the usual greeting from Momo, who was almost his age. Momo had been a _miko _and servant for Luna ever since she was little. Gakupo even thought that Luna had adopted Momo.

Gakupo quietly walked down the hallways to try and find the pink-haired _miko_, but to no avail. Finally, he started hearing Luna's voice coming from her room. Gakupo faintly smiled to know that someone was home with him, but before he came in, he heard a name that Gakupo didn't want to hear.

"I, _Izanami_, will rule over this universe," Luna said.

Gakupo's eyes widened in surprise to hear that Luna and _Izanami _were the same person. He clenched his fist when he remembered her smirk before she gave her sword a last thrust into his father's body, killing him in front of Gakupo.

"She knows you're _Tsukuyomi," Izanagi's _voice echoed from the pearl inside Gakupo's eye.

"Run."

Gakupo ran away from the shrine with the command from _Izanagi_.

* * *

"_Izanami _killed my father," Gakupo said, as he clenched his fist in anger and frustration.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_otou-sama- _father

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)**  
**

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_Ama no Iwato- _heavenly rock cave

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister (Momo)

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister (Neru)

_Ninigi- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime (Kaito)

_Konohanasakuya-hime- _Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life (Miku)

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess (Rin)

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight (Len)

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_O tanjoubi omedetou- _"happy birthday"

_miko- _shrine maiden


	28. Chapter 28: A Tear Full of Sorrow

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 28: A Tear Full of Sorrow

"After I ran away without letting any of you know, I learned that the reason _Izanami _wasn't turned into a human was because _Izanagi _didn't plan for her being in the Sacred Occurrences. _Izanagi _also told me that she was planning something that will ruin the Providence."

Gakupo remembered that night when he ran away from the shrine to hide away from Luna. That same night, _Izanagi _also revealed to him that Kaito's true self was _Ninigi, _Miku's was _Konohanasakuya-hime, _Rin's was _Orihime, _Len's was _Hikoboshi,_ Momo's was _Toyotama-hime, _and Neru's was _Tamayori-hime. _After that night, the pearl became useless to him after it was shattered into pieces when it was struck by a spell-bound arrow.

It was Momo that shot the pearl, making _Izanagi _disappear. Luna, who already knew that Gakupo found out about her true identity, was the one that commanded Momo to destroy the only thing that could help Gakupo.

While Gakupo paused his narration to remember that night, Kaito didn't mind for he was also lost in his own flashbacks. He remembered how that night, Luna called them over to the shrine and told them about their true selves. She also included the lie that the reason Gakupo ran away was because he tried to kill her for she was going to help them make the Providence successful. After that, all of them despised him, but Kaito was the one that held the greatest anger on him because Gakupo didn't tell him anything about their fates.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kaito asked, returning to his confronting Gakupo.

"Why didn't you tell me about our fates?"

"Because I didn't want any of you to be involved in it."

Kaito was once again shocked of what Gakupo said.

"None of you knew about your true self, and I wasn't planning on revealing it to any of you because I didn't want you to get involved."

"Still! You should've told me! I thought you trusted me! I thought we were best friends!" Kaito roared.

"Because I didn't want you to be aware of my pain the way Luka was!" Gakupo yelled back, showing Kaito a different side of him.

Kaito had never seen Gakupo's other side for he was always gentle and kind. They never had a single argument and Gakupo had never shown this side of his to Luka or to anybody else.

"What do you mean…by Luka was aware…of your pain?" Kaito asked with no fear, but hesitation.

"Luka would always hide her happiness from me because she didn't want to be the only one to feel happy in our relationship."

Gakupo remembered those times whenever Luka would show a fake smile in front of him and how she would always look out into the distant after showing him a smile. He also recalled that time when Luka revealed to him that his eyes captured her heart and soul because they were so full of misery that she became more and more curious about him.

"Luka was able to sense my misery. She was able to see it in my eyes. I did all my best to hide that misery from everyone else especially from her, but she was able to see through me. That's how I fell in love with her."

Len, who was still eavesdropping behind the bushes, listened to the truth that was being laid out in front of him. This gave him more help in realizing that he and Luka weren't meant to be.

"I was in misery because I was despised by my childhood friends and I was fated to break Luka's innocent heart even if I didn't want to. I was meant to be hated and begrudged on. All those times that I was with Luka, I planned for all my feelings to be false. I planned to keep my heart from breaking. They were all supposed to be just an act…but before I even knew it…they became genuine. Before I even knew it…Luka had already captured my heart," Gakupo confessed, his eyes getting watery.

"I love Luka with all my heart and soul, but I didn't want her to get hurt…so I wanted to get the Providence over with so she wouldn't have to suffer any longer. Breaking her heart was the most difficult thing I had ever done."

Kaito had a grudge on Gakupo until he saw something he thought he would never see in a million years.

A tear.

A tear left Gakupo's eye. Kaito knew that the tear that came out contained all the feelings Gakupo always hid inside his cobalt eyes. Gakupo wanted those feelings to disappear and just feel happiness, but because it was his destiny to be hated and feel all the worst pain, he strongly held them inside, only showing a gentle smile and a kind personality to everyone around him.

"_Suman_."

Kaito walked towards Gakupo and placed a hand on his shoulder to show his sincere apology.

"I didn't know that you've been in this pain for so long," Kaito said.

Gakupo looked at Kaito, seeing his blue eyes shine under the blood-red moon. Gakupo knew he was sincere because Kaito would always look like that whenever he would apologize to Miku.

Gakupo and Kaito gave each other a friendly and brotherly hug which was something they hadn't done for a long time.

"No, I was the one at fault, Kaito," Gakupo said, patting Kaito's back.

Out of nowhere, they heard heavy coughing from the bushes nearby. The two ran to the bushes where they heard the noise to find Len coughing up blood.

"Len!" Kaito and Gakupo exclaimed, helping Len up.

Len didn't look very well judging from how much blood he had already coughed out. There was a puddle of it, the red color matching the crimson moon.

"What's wrong?" Kaito asked as he placed Len beside a tree for his back to lean on.

"_Wakaranai_," Len said, feeling more pain in his chest.

"You need to rest," Gakupo suggested.

"No…we must return…to where…Luka is," Len said, pausing every now and then to catch his breath.

"But, you're—"

"No! I'm…fine! We…n-need…to…get to Luka…as soon as possible."

"Why?" Kaito asked.

"Luna…no…_Izanami_…is going to…kill…Luka," Len revealed, coughing more blood.

There was much more blood than the puddle he coughed out near the bushes. The blood was now all over his hands and lap. Gakupo and Kaito didn't want to leave Len behind so they carried him on Kaito's back. They ran to the direction of the cave as fast as they could, feeling their true selves fully coming back.

"This isn't good," Gakupo thought as he saw some of his memories of being _Tsukuyomi._

"She's going to come out any time soon."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu

_Ninigi- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime (Kaito)

_Konohanasakuya-hime- _Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life (Miku)

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess (Rin)

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight (Len)

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister (Momo)

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister (Neru)

_suman- _masculine and casual way of saying "sorry"

_wakaranai- _"I don't know"/ "I don't understand"

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)**_  
_**


	29. Chapter 29: Returning to True Selves

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 29: Returning to their True Selves

Gakupo, Kaito and Len ran to the cave's direction as fast as they could to rescue Luka from Luna's evil plan. On their way there, Len's condition was starting to get worse as memories of his being _Hikoboshi_ also flooded his mind. Gakupo and Kaito already knew that Len was starting to turn into his true self because his hair was starting to get longer and his clothes were changing during the process.

Kaito and Gakupo also realized that since they aren't experiencing any changes yet, it means that Luka's is still on the part of her remembering about _Hikoboshi _and _Orihime_. While running, Gakupo noticed Kaito's worried face.

"Kaito…don't worry about Rin…she'll be fine," Gakupo said as he took breaths in between.

Gakupo was right. Kaito was worried about Rin, but he was more worried about Len, who was dying on his back as they carried him through the forest bathed in darkness with only the scarlet moon's little light. When Gakupo checked on Len again, he saw a symbol appearing slowly on his neck.

It was a black rose.

"No…please don't tell me…" Gakupo thought, his mind now full of more worry.

* * *

"Rin-chan!" Miku exclaimed as Rin fell unconscious out of nowhere.

Miku and Rin were on their way to the cave where Len told them to go to. On their way there, Rin stopped walking and became quiet. Her eyes also dazed at the distance, showing no emotions. When Miku pulled Rin so that they would keep going, Rin closed her eyes and fell on Miku's arms.

"Oh no! Luka-chan," Miku thought as she panicked when Rin's short blonde hair started extending out of nowhere.

Rin also started glowing in the dark forest as her clothes disappeared and were started to get replaced by something Miku didn't want to see just yet.

"Please. Not yet."

* * *

"Momo-san," Luna called as she looked at the beautiful _sakura _petals blooming under the red moon.

"Is there something you need, Amane-sama?" Momo asked, approaching her.

Luna turned around and gave Momo a hug which gave her a surprise. Momo didn't know why, but she felt loved and warm even if the person that was hugging her was the one that took her away from her mother, her sister, Neru, and her father.

"Amane-sama?"

"Thank you for everything."

After Luna said those words, Momo's eyes grew wide, not because she was shocked, but because memories were now starting to flow in her mind, too. She was remembering her true self's past. She was remembering her being _Toyotama-hime, Amaterasu's _servant.

Momo's body started glowing and the white ribbon that loosely tied her pink hair came off as as her hair started growing. Luna let go of her, leaving her to fall the ground.

"No, Momo-san," Luna said as she watched her slowly fall to the ground.

"The Providence won't benefit any of you."

* * *

"Neru, everything will be alright," Neru's father said as he stroked her golden-blonde hair that was similar to his.

Neru, despite of everything that was happening, stayed by her father's side whose sickness was getting worse. Neru's father started hardly coughing again, making Neru worry more.

"I'm sure that everything will be alright," he comforted once again, seeing a tear leave Neru's yellow eyes that matched her late mother's.

"_Otou-sama_, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I lo—"

Neru's sentence was interrupted as her golden eyes started glowing. Her body also started glowing, a sign that she was starting to remember her true self. She started floating in the air for a brief second, but gradually came down as her body was laid on the bare floor. Neru's father was aware of what was going on and had no choice, but to watch his daughter suffer a destiny that she didn't pick for herself. He got up to put her head on his lap as he covered his mouth while coughing.

"Yes, Neru. I love you, too," Neru's father cried, thinking about his two daughters.

* * *

"Miku!" Gakupo shouted, seeing her teal hair nearby.

"Gakupo-kun! Kaito!" Miku yelled back, only turning her head because she couldn't let go of Rin.

When they approached the tree that Miku and Rin were under, they also laid down Len, who's on the verge of death.

"Is she remembering, too?" Gakupo asked, seeing Rin passed out on Miku's lap.

Miku nodded her head, her eyes full of worry and nervousness. When Gakupo looked up, she noticed something different about Miku. Her pigtails were gone because her hair was also getting longer.

"Miku, don't tell me—"

"I'm enduring it, Gakupo-kun," Miku interrupted as she looked at Gakupo.

Miku's blue eyes were also starting to glow along with her body that was still assisting Rin.

"If you're remembering, then—" Gakupo said to himself.

Gakupo looked over at Kaito and found him leaning on the tree, breathing hardly. His hair was also getting longer and his body was faintly glowing because he was resisting, too.

"I'll be fine. We're going to save Luka," Kaito smiled when he found Gakupo looking at him with worry.

All of a sudden, Len's eyes opened as he gasped for air.

"Len!"

"Where's Rin? Where's Rin? I need to see Rin!" Len quickly said, not pausing for every sentence.

"So you haven't regained your memories, huh," Kaito smiled as he heavily breathed more.

Len quickly stood up, resisting Gakupo's help. When he found Rin unconscious on Miku's lap, he looked happy to find her, yet sad because he knows that she was undergoing pain.

"I'm glad you're—Len-kun!" Miku exclaimed as she watched Len turn his head away and cough out more puddles of blood.

"Len! _Shikarishiro!_" Gakupo yelled.

"We need to go!" Len yelled back.

"No! By the time we get there, you'd be dead."

Hearing this shocked not only Len, but also Miku and Kaito, who were still enduring their remembering of their true selves.

"You made a vow with her, didn't you?" Gakupo asked.

"With who?" Len confusedly asked.

Gakupo held up Len's right hand and to show him the cut that Luna made. Len now remembered that he made a vow with Luna when he wanted to know the truth about Luna's evil plans and the Providence.

"I had no choice," Len replied, turning his gaze away from Gakupo.

Gakupo explained to Len that since he made a vow to Luna that he will not betray her, all his actions that may lead to her defeat and failure, like his revealing her plan to Gakupo and Kaito, was considered betrayal and has a punishment which was death. Their vow was symbolized by the black rose symbol on Len's neck, meaning death and Len's coughing up blood was because of the punishment.

"Just stay here," Gakupo said, letting go of Len's hand.

"Kaito and I will—"

Gakupo's eyes grew when he saw Kaito unconscious along with Miku. He realized that Kaito and Miku couldn't resist any longer and fell unconscious to remember their true selves. He also knew that he was going to change next and he knew that if he doesn't get to the cave on time, he will no longer see any of them.

Without saying anything more, Gakupo ran away from his friends towards the cave. He ran faster than before because in his mind, he knew he doesn't have much time left. After he changes into his true self, _Tsukuyomi_, Luka would be next and she would come out of the cave.

"I'm coming, Luka."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight (Len)

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess (Rin)

_sakura- _cherry blossom

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister (Momo)

_Amaterasu- _sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_otou-sama- _father

_shikarishiro- _"get yourself together!"

_Tsukuyomi- _moon god of Japan (Gakupo)


	30. Chapter 30: Providence & Dimming Heart

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 30: The Providence and the Dimming Heart

"_Izanami!_"

Luna turned around to find Len, leaning on a tree for support.

"_Ara, _I'm surprised you're still alive," Luna smiled.

"Of course I am. I'm the great _Hikoboshi_," Len replied as he walked to her.

When the red moon shone on Len, Luna realized that he has turned to his true self, _Hikoboshi_. His long hair extended all the way to his back. He wore an ancient Heian knight's clothing, making him look valiant. However, Len's right eye had a different shade of blue than the left one. The right eye was a light shade of Maya blue, his eye color when he was still the human Len, but since he had turned back into his true self, _Hikoboshi_, his left eye was a darker shade of royal blue. Somewhere inside _Hikoboshi_ still lie the human Len's memories.

"I don't know why I'm trying to protect this Luka girl, who I don't even remember much about, but I know that not only do I have to protect _Orihime_, but _Amaterasu_, too…and I know that protecting that Luka girl will keep them safe," Len thought, walking behind Luna.

_Hikoboshi_ still had some of the human Len's memory and was able to remember Luka, but he didn't know who she was to him. He also didn't know that _Amaterasu_ and Luka were the same.

"Since you're still alive, I won't have to do any more work to kill that _Tsukuyomi_ to use as my bait," Luna said, stopping in front of the entrance of the cave where Luka's in.

"She's in here, that Luka girl," Len thought, looking into the dark cave.

Luna took out the _Yata no Kagami_, and whispered an incantation on it before handing it to Len.

"Angle it so that your face would show up on the mirror and the scarlet moon's light would bounce on it to the cave," commanded Luna.

Len did as he was told, not making any hesitations however, he was starting to feel weaker and weaker. He knew it was because of the vow that he made with Luna. He was aware that he was dying, but he wasn't afraid to face his death if he knows that the reason would be because he was able to protect _Orihime _and _Amaterasu_.

Meanwhile, Luka, who was still inside the cave, didn't know what she was going to do anymore. She had turned into _Amaterasu_ with no memories of who Gakupo is, but all the memories she had about _Tsukuyomi_ and their forbidden love was etched in her mind. That was the reason why she didn't want to come out of the cave. She was scared to feel more pain.

Suddenly, she saw a red glow that caught her attention. She followed the red streak of light and started walking to the cave's mouth. Luka's fox ears tingled in curiosity, but she was scared of what was awaiting ahead of her. When she was only a couple of steps away from the cave, she saw Len's reflection on the _Yata no Kagami._

"It…was…him," Luka muttered.

Without her knowing, she stepped out of the cave, the red light blinding her. She lifted up her arm and used her _juunihitoe_'_s _sleeves to cover her eyes.

"_Amaterasu_," Len muttered, dropping the _Yata no Kagami _to the ground.

After Luka came out of the cave, Luna looked up at the red moon and waited for its disappearance. However, it never did.

"The Providence…failed?" Luna said to herself, her eyes widened in surprise.

Since she didn't come out for a long time, Luka felt weak and tired and blinded by the bright light. Luka wanted to walk towards Len, but she was still feeling weak.

When Luna looked at Luka, she finally realized why the Providence, the day that _Amaterasu _was to shine her light all over the universe, failed.

"The memories of _Amaterasu's _human self, Luka, is still inside her," Luna thought.

"Luka!"

To Luna's surprise, Gakupo came, still not turned into _Tsukuyomi_. He was resisting it, but he was confused on why it was easier for him to resist the change. Kaito, who also tried to resist, had a hard time and ended up changing into _Ninigi_.

Luka, who was now turned into _Amaterasu_, turned to look at Gakupo. Luna now had a proof that Luka's memories as a human was still inside of her mind because she responded to Gakupo's calling her by her human name.

Luka took a small step towards Gakupo, surprising Len because she didn't take a step after coming out of the cave. She was about to take another step, but was held back by a whip that came from Luna that wrapped around her body. Her face showed a little pain, but after seeing Gakupo, _Amaterasu _became more confused.

"That isn't _Tsukuyomi_, but…why do I feel…like I've seen him before?" Luka thought, showing a little pain when Luna pulled her body towards her.

"Stop resisting, Gakupo. It's too late. You shouldn't have come," Luna said as she tightened her whip around Luka's body.

"Luka! Can you hear me! I know you're still there! It's me, Gakupo!" he yelled, walking towards Luna.

"That's…the Luka girl?" Len thought, looking at the whip-bounded _Amaterasu _that stood beside Luna.

Len also started walking towards Luna as slowly as he could, but he was interrupted by a voice that sounded familiar to him. A voice that he hadn't heard in what felt like years.

"_Hikoboshi!_"

It was Rin's voice.

"_Orihime?_" Len thought.

Rin was too late. Len coughed blood everywhere, causing him to fall to the ground in weakness. Rin ran towards Len, who was in critical condition from losing almost all of his blood.

"_Hikoboshi! Shinanaide!" _Rin cried, putting Len's head on her arms.

"_Orihime_, I'm glad I saw you…one last time," Len muttered.

"No, don't die. No. Please."

"I'm sorry…that I caused you trouble, _Orihime_…I don't deserve…to be called…a man because…I let the person I love…suffer."

"No, that's not true," Rin cried, her unstoppable tears coming out.

Luna finally had an idea that would not only remove Luka's human memories out of her head, but would also replace her plan of killing Luka to get her powers. Instead of talking to the _Amaterasu _that she bounded with her whip, she talked to her as if she was still Luka.

"_Nee, _Luka. Look at them. Those are your friends Rin and Len, aren't they? Well, I want to let you know that Len's dying. When Len dies, Rin's going to suffer so much that she would wish for her own death, too. Even Gakupo's in pain because he's resisting to change. All of them are suffering and do you want to know why?" Luna whispered, evil in her eyes and her devilish smile showing.

Luka was scared to hear the answer however, she had no choice but to hear it.

"Because of you."

As soon as Luka heard those words from Luna, she lost control of herself. Her chest glowed, the rays of light shaped like a heart. Gakupo, Rin and Len realized that it was her heart that was glowing. Her heart was so bright that they had to squint their eyes to realize what it was. Luka, who was unconscious, was lifted from the ground by the radiant heart that appeared to be coming out of her chest.

Gakupo watched Luka carefully as he still endured his changing. Even if he was enduring it, he was still changing little by little. His hair has already gotten longer and his human ears were starting to get replaced by fox ears. Luka looked magnificent even if she looked lifeless. Her Tea-Rose pink hair flowed and swayed with the wind along with her _juunihitoe_. Luka appeared like a true goddess now that her heart's bright light showered her.

"Luka's heart…was the sun?" Gakupo thought, finally realizing what was going on.

The Providence became a success because _Amaterasu_ was able to return the light throughout the universe after she came out of the cave, however it didn't last for long. The glowing heart's light started dimming, its yellow rays turning gray.

"What's happening to the light?" Gakupo thought as the skky started dimming along with the heart's rays' dimming.

Out of nowhere, Momo's eyes started opening as she regained her consciousness. She was now turned into her true self, _Toyotama-hime._ She wasn't wearing her _miko _attire anymore, but wore an elegant _kazami. _Since she wasn't a god or a goddess, she didn't acquire the fox ears that only Luka and Gakupo would get, but her hair did get a lot longer, her pink hair extending to her ankle.

"_Amaterasu-sama!" _she yelled, seeing Luka's body floating in the air.

Luna used her powers and attacked Momo with no hesitation, causing her to strongly land on the ground. When Rin saw this, she became worried of Momo and tried to help her.

_"Toyotama-hime!"_ Rin yelled as she got up and ran towards Momo.

Luna didn't want any interruptions and decided to attack Rin, too.

"_Orihime!" _Len shouted as he jumped on her.

Luna's attack didn't hit Rin, but hit Len, instead. He and Rin fell to the ground from the attack's strong impact which caused Len to feel more pain than he was already feeling.

"_Hikoboshi!_" Rin screamed in horror, seeing Len's body and mouth covered in blood.

"I hope…that we're reborn…as the human twins, Rin…and Len…so we could be…together again, don't you think…_Orihime,_" Len smiled as he stroked Rin's blonde hair.

"_Aishiteru._"

Luka's heart's light became darker as Len said his last words. When Rin realized that Len was no longer with her anymore, everything became unclear to her. She couldn't hear the noises around her nor her own voice. Rin's eyes were widened in deep shock as she shook Len's body to wake him up. Rin couldn't accept that Len was gone because she didn't even get to say 'I love you' to him one last time.

"Len!" Rin cried, her loud voice echoing everywhere.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_ara- _"Oh my"

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight (Len)

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess (Rin)

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)**_  
_**

_Yata no Kagami- _a sacred mirror that represents wisdom and honesty

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_Ninigi- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime (Kaito)

_shinanaide- _"Don't die"

_kazami- _layered silk robe that were worn by noble women from the Heian Period

_aishiteru- _"I love you"


	31. Chapter 31: A Promise of Return

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 31: A Promise of Return

"Len! Len!" Rin screamed in horror as Len took his last breath.

Rin's memories as a human were all in her head while her tears dropped from her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Len, her everything, was taken away from her.

Len was gone.

"How dare you!" Gakupo yelled as he ran towards Luna as fast as he could.

He tried to hit her with his fists, but she used her powers and shielded herself from Gakupo. Luna's strong powers sent Gakupo flying back to where he was, his back hitting a tree. He felt the sharp, massive pain on his back and chest as he landed on the ground from hitting the tree. Gakupo's head was spinning, his vision was blurry, and his hearing wasn't clear, but he could still hear Rin's sobs and Luka's dimming heart.

Gakupo was still resisting his change. He didn't want to change into _Tsukuyomi _just yet. He wanted to rescue Luka as the human Gakupo that met her because he wanted to atone for his breaking her heart. He wanted to carry the burden of the sufferings that the gods and goddesses made because he felt that it was all his fault.

Luka, who had been transformed into her true self, _Amaterasu, _still hovered in the air while her heart's light continued to dim. Her long, pink hair floated and her body lifeless.

"Her powers are becoming dark just the way I wanted it," Luna thought, a sinister smile on her pale face.

Luna, who was actually _Izanami_, stayed in her true self's form. She didn't change into a human when she got caught up when _Izanagi _sacrificed himself to correct the gods and goddesses' mistakes. She stayed the way she was which caused her to stay in her room her entire life.

Luna raised her arm and tugged on Luka's _juunihitoe_. She didn't need to squint her eyes anymore for Luka's heart was turning into a charcoal color. Luka's clear, baby-blue eyes turned into the lightest shade of white that it looked like she had no iris.

"_Amaterasu_," Luna called.

"Look at what you've caused. Len's dead. Rin's suffering. Gakupo's weak. Momo, Miku, and Kaito are unconscious. Everyone's suffering. It's all because of your selfish little self," Luna said out loud, joyfully watching her plans come back into place.

Her plan to obtain Luka's powers was going to fail when the second Providence didn't happen, but with the help of Gakupo, she was able to make Luka feel bad enough for her heart to become dark.

Luna pulled out her whip and tightly wrapped it around Luka's body. She couldn't feel anything for she was lifeless. Luna swung the whip down which caused Luka's body to hardly hit the solid, dusty ground. Her pink hair was everywhere and her elegant _juunihitoe _became dirty and loose on her. Her heart sunk back in her chest, but the dark rays were still visible. Luka's eyes were still open, not even blinking just for once.

"Let's go. I want my powers back," Luna said, dragging Luka's body.

Gakupo opened his eyes, just in time to see Luna drag Luka's body. She looked like a doll being carried carelessly by her owner. Luka had no life in her. She was just an empty shell.

"Lu…ka, wait—" Gakupo muttered as his visions blurred and became unconscious.

* * *

Gakupo could feel something cold on his forehead, feeling a little better. He could feel the soft-textured something on his body, making him feel warm. When he opened his eyes, he saw golden-blonde hair and yellow eyes looking into his tired, indigo eyes.

"Ne…ru?"

"It's _Tamayori-hime_," the blonde corrected, placing a wet cloth on Gakupo's forehead.

He realized that Neru had changed her true self because she was wearing a _kazami_. What he was surprised about, though, was that he was able to remember Neru as a human.

"Do you…remember me?" Gakupo asked, sitting up.

"I don't know if it is you, but you deeply resemble my master," Neru said, helping him sit up.

"Tell me about your master."

"My master, _Tsukuyomi-sama_, was the moon god. He had long purple hair that extended to the floor, and alert fox ears atop his head. He was very handsome and was sought by many princesses and beautiful goddesses in the land, but his heart belonged only to one," Neru narrated.

"His heart only belonged to _Amaterasu-sama_, the sun goddess. Her gorgeous pink hair fell to the ground and her eyes were as clear as the sky while her clothing made her beauty more elegant than anybody else's. She was perfect for my master, but their love wasn't meant to be."

Gakupo sensed the mood's changing. He could feel his heart race for he knew that the story was about him. He had known all along that his true self was _Tsukuyomi_, but he knew little about his and _Amaterasu's_ love for each other.

"The _sakura_ trees bloomed beautifully on the first day they met. My master ran away from us, his servants, and so did _Amaterasu-sama_. _Ninigi-dono, Hikoboshi_, and I searched for him while my sister, _Toyotama-hime, Konohanasakuya-hime, _and _Orihime_ looked for _Amaterasu-sama._ The other party found their master, but we didn't find _Tsukuyomi-sama_. When we came back to where we were, we found him there, looking at the blooming flowers."

When Gakupo looked for those memories from the back of his head, it felt impossible for he was still enduring his change. To make it easy, he let go for a brief moment so that his suppressed self would come out and change him a little. His hair became longer, and his left eye changed from indigo to an amethyst color. His small changes made him remember some memories of _Amaterasu_.

"They fell in love that first time they met and sent secret letters to each other. They were madly in love that they even agreed to try and run away from their separated palaces and forget about their identity, but one day, _Amaterasu-sama _found out about their forbidden love. They weren't allowed to fall in love with each other for it would bring chaos to the whole universe. _Tsukuyomi-sama_ was heartbroken that he locked himself away from the world while the sun goddess hid inside a cave, the whole universe becoming dark. Since then, I haven't seen my master."

Gakupo realized that Neru doesn't remember any of her memories from when she was human because she was fully changed into her true self. She only remembered her memories as _Tamayori-hime_.

"I'm _Tsukuyomi,_" Gakupo said, his fox ears coming out.

Neru couldn't believe it. She was looking at her master. The master she hadn't seen in forever. Gakupo stood up, his energy regained. He was now _Tsukuyomi_, but still had little memories of the human Gakupo.

"_Tsukuyomi-sama? _How—Wha—How did you get here?" Neru asked.

"_Tamayori-hime_, do you know where _Amaterasu _is?"

"Why?"

"Tell me!"

"She was taken by _Izanami_. I don't know where, but she took her. Now, please tell me why you're asking."

"I'm going to rescue her," _Tsukuyomi _declared.

"No! You'll get hurt, _Tsukuyomi-sama! _I don't want you to end up like _Hikoboshi_! Please!"

When Gakupo looked around, he saw Rin, Miku, Kaito, and Momo, all lying down unconscious. They've all turned into their true selves with no hints of who they were when they were humans.

"If I don't come back," Gakupo said, turning to Neru.

"Tell them that Luka's going to be alright and that she's coming back. I promise," he said, gently smiling.

"Lu…ka? Who is she?" Neru thought.

Gakupo didn't take his time to explain to Neru about what was going on and ran outside, his wounds still fresh. The sky was a gloomy shade of grey, the sun gone.

When she watched Gakupo run, Neru remembered something from the back of her head that made her tear up a little.

"Somehow…somewhere…deep in my heart…I know that the 'Luka' girl that _Tsukuyomi-sama _was talking about…is important to us," Neru thought.

"So please…get her back to us, _Tsukuyomi-sama_."

* * *

**Author's notes**:

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)**_  
_**

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Izanagi_- deity and ancestor of Amaterasu

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister

_kazami- _layered silk robe that were worn by noble women from the Heian Period

_Ninigi-dono- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister

_Konohanasakuya-hime- _Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess


	32. Chapter 32: An Empty Shell

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 32: An Empty Shell

"Luka. That's the girl's name in my head. I don't remember who she is, but she closely resembles my beloved, _Amaterasu_. Maybe that Luka girl knows where she is," Gakupo thought as he kept on running.

Gakupo, who was now turned into his true self with little memories of his being human, ran to _Izanami's _palace where she hid Luka. He still had the image of her face embedded in his mind, but he had no memories of why he knows about her or why she looked like _Amaterasu_. Gakupo's long, purple hair swayed with the wind as the breeze hit his face. The _sakura _petals rained down on him as the wind passed by from the ominous clouds above the dark sky.

It was daytime, but because the sun, Luka's heart, was tainted an ugly black color, the sky was dark as if it was still nighttime. The day was a little chilly for the spring season had just begun. Traces of the winter's passing were still there.

Out of the blue, Gakupo's fox ears tingled. He heard the noises of shrine bells, making him stop. He traced the sound to find where it was coming from and raced westward. After running through the forest, he found an old temple that looked frail and worn out.

"Is this it?" Gakupo asked himself.

* * *

"Where…am I?" Miku asked, waking up to something cold on her face.

When she opened her eyes, she saw golden eyes and blonde hair that was tied back while fair-skinned hands patted her face with a cold, white towel. It was Neru, but since Miku had been turned into her true self, _Konohanasakuya-hime_, she remembered her differently.

"_Tamayori-hime,_" Miku called.

"I'm glad you're awake," Neru gently smiled, still trying to endure the past events that had been happening.

"Where's my beloved, _Ninigi_?" Miku asked, referring to Kaito as _Ninigi_.

"He's still unconscious in the other side of the room, but he is alright."

Miku looked at the right side of the room where she found Kaito, asleep.

"What about…wait—" Miku said.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know why, but I don't remember who Luka is."

Neru placed the wet cloth back on the tray after wringing the water out to a small basin. She placed her hands on her lap and looked at Miku with a sincere face.

"We don't know who she is, but she might be able to save your master."

"_Amaterasu-sama?_" exclaimed Miku, her eyes widened in horror.

"Where is she? I must see her immediately!"

"No! You can't, _hime_! She's not here!" Neru yelled, sedating Miku.

"What do you mean?"

"She was taken by _Izanami_," Neru explained.

"What exactly happened while I was unconscious?"

"_Kuraku natta.__**"**_

Neru and Miku turned their heads to find Momo awake, clenching her stomach. Momo, who had been hit by Luna's attacks, was still hurting and got up even though it hurts. She looked out the window to see the darkened day.

"_Ane-ue_!" Neru exclaimed, seeing her sister.

That was the very first time Neru acknowledged Momo as her big sister. Ever since they were separated from each other to serve the sun goddess and the moon god, they recognized each other as princesses from the other sides of _Takama no Hara_ for it was forbidden to let people know they were sisters.

"_Toyotama-hime_," Miku said, sitting up to listen to her.

"_Amaterasu-sama_'s heart is the sun. However, it has been tainted black and is no longer pure. How did that happen, you ask?" Momo paused to sit on her knees.

"It's because she had fallen in love."

"What do you mean? That's not right!" Miku protested.

"That was the reason why our masters were forbidden to fall in love. It was inevitable for them to fall in love because they're the sun and the moon. They're like _Yin _and _Yang. _Both need each other, but if something goes wrong, everything will end up in chaos," Momo explained.

"Because _Amaterasu-sama_ had fallen in and out of love, her heart is no longer pure and it darkened because of heartbreak. Since her heart was the sun, it didn't break. It darkened instead. If this darkness continues, all living and spiritual things will die and _Izanami_ will rule over _Takama no Hara_ and the Earth with the dead."

"Is there a way to fix this?" Neru asked as her heart beat faster in terror.

Momo got up and looked out the window again to see what else was going on.

"It's up to him. There are big consequences to fix this mess."

"Up to him? You mean—" Miku nervously asked.

"The moon god."

* * *

Gakupo walked down the dark hall of the temple, holding his sword in front of him. His fox eyes were of no help for a barrier was built to weaken any source of power except for the one who created it. The sound of the bells disappeared, making it harder for Gakupo to trace where it came from.

"_Amaterasu!_" he yelled, looking from side to side.

Gakupo heard the sound of the bells once again, his fox ears tingling. He ran as quickly as he could to the source of the sound. He found himself in front of a door of the last room of the temple. The moon god took a deep breath before he rapidly opened the sliding door, the sound echoing throughout the halls.

There he found a long, red ribbon that was nailed down to the ground. He traced the ribbon and found two bells tied with the ribbon around a pale foot. _Tsukuyomi_'s eyes widened as he realized that it was _Amaterasu _bound by the ribbon as if she was an animal being kept on its leash.

"_Amaterasu!_"

_Tsukuyomi_ immediately dropped his sword and ran to _Amaterasu_. She was still unconscious, but she was able to make sounds with her bells by moving around. Although she looked fatigue, _Amaterasu_ still looked beautiful in her _juunihitoe_. Her pale skin covered by the gorgeous silk fabrics that fitted a goddess like her.

Gakupo held her in his arms, hoping to wake her up with the sound of his heartbeat. He held her hand, feeling her coldness and her lifelessness.

"You're not dead, are you?" Gakupo panicked.

He quickly moved the pieces of hair that blocked her stunning face. To his surprise, she started opening her eyes slowly. She slowly blinked a couple of times to clear her view, but she had troubles seeing as if she was blind.

"_Amaterasu_! I'm glad you're alright!" Gakupo exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

The bells tied around her foot made noises as if they were joyful with Gakupo, but as soon as it stopped and as soon as Gakupo looked back at the goddess, their joy disappeared.

"_Ama…terasu?_"

The goddess' pale face showed no expression, her lips forming an arch. She didn't look happy or sad or surprised at all. Tears were also unseen, making Gakupo worry. She did not speak or make any sounds or movements.

"What's wrong? Why are you being like this? It's as if—" Gakupo gasped realizing something.

He couldn't hear any heartbeats from the goddess he held in his arms. _Amaterasu's _heart was gone. Her life was gone. Because she was a goddess, she was able to move her body because her brain was still attached to her. Though, because her heart, the container of her spirit, mind, and feelings, was gone, _Amaterasu_'s body was now just an empty shell. All her life was drained out of her.

"This can't be."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_sakura_- cherry blossom

_Konohanasakuya-hime- _Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life (Miku)

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister (Neru)

_Ninigi-dono- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime (Kaito)

_hime- _princess

_kuraku natta- _"It got dark."

_ane-ue_- big sister (more polite way of saying 'onee-chan')

_Takama no Hara- _dwelling place of gods and goddesses

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister (Momo)

_Yin-_ the dark force that opposes _Yang _in the Chinese philosophy

_Yang- _the light force that opposes _Yin_ in the Chinese philosophy

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period


	33. Chapter 33: The Premonition

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 33: The Premonition

"_Amaterasu! Amaterasu!" _Gakupo screamed in agony, still holding the lifeless body of Luka.

The empty shell of the goddess did not move or feel anything. She lay in Gakupo's arms with an expressionless face. Her eyes were open, but its once-beautiful shade of blue was gone. Like the bright sky, it was replaced by a repulsive shade of gray. She was completely lifeless.

No voice. No movements. No feelings. No heartbeats.

"_Dare? Ano koe?_" the lifeless body thought, seeing Gakupo's tears.

She couldn't understand what was going on for she had lost all her feelings. She had a brain that she could use to think, but even the voice in her head was lifeless that it sounded monotonous.

"_Ugokenai," _she thought, trying to move her arms.

She wanted to know what was going on, but it was useless to try and move. All she had left was her spirit, and a spirit without a heart is of no use to a goddess like her.

Gakupo's ears started tingling again, sensing someone's presence. He felt strange, but better because for some reason, he was able to use all his powers where he was. He could perfectly see his surroundings and he could use his fox ears to sense and hear if somebody was near him. He gently let go of Luka's body after giving her a peck on the forehead.

"I'll be back," he said, looking at Luka's grey, melancholic eyes.

"You're leaving?" Luka monotonously thought in her head, still not having the ability to talk.

"I promise I'll save you," Gakupo smiled with hope in his amethyst eyes as he picked up his sword.

"Promise…save…me?" Luka asked her mind in confusion.

Gakupo ran out of the dark room while the expressionless goddess' eyes followed him. She lay there, looking like a lost child.

"_Izanami!"_ Gakupo furiously thought in his mind, his fists clenching around the sword he carried.

* * *

Momo sat by the window, still looking at the dark sky while holding her arm against her stomach as she tried to suppress the pain of Luna's previous attack.

"_Hikoboshi_'s gone, huh," Momo thought, recollecting what happened before she blacked out.

She remembered hearing Rin cry out her name as she got hit by a black orb of dark power from Luna. Then, she heard her cry out Len's name in agony, her tears endless after he blocked the attack that was going to hit her and Rin.

"_Ori—_huh?" Momo said, seeing no traces of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl.

"Where's _Orihime_?" Momo asked Neru and Miku, referring to Rin.

The two looked confused for the whole time they've been talking, they didn't notice Rin leave. All of them started panicking with no knowledge of where she was or what she was doing. The three ran around the house, yelling Rin's name. After a few minutes, they all returned to the room where they were in hopes that Rin might've returned, but of course, she wasn't there.

"I know where she is."

The three girls turned around to find Kaito awake, his back leaning against the wall and his eyes dazing at the _tatami _floor as if he woke up to a bad dream.

"_Ninigi!_" Miku exclaimed, running to her lover's side.

She held his palm to her cheeks, making him feel her warmth. Since they had no memories of when they were humans, they felt like they haven't seen each other for ages.

"Where is she, _Ninigi-dono_?" Momo asked.

"She left."

"To?"

"_Izanami_."

* * *

"So, you're here," Luna balefully smiled, her once-blue eyes turned to blood red.

She looked at a dark-violet crystal ball that she created to monitor what was going on in and around the temple. Luna watched Gakupo run around the temple, amazed that Gakupo hadn't figured out that the halls were mere illusions.

"You'll never find where I am, _Tsukuyomi_. You're just a weakling after all," Luna evilly laughed, still watching the moon god make a fool out of himself.

Because it was the sun and the sun goddess' source of power, _Izanami _took the blackened heart out of Luka's body to obtain its power, however, it didn't go as well as planned. Luna, surprisingly, still wasn't tainted enough. She needed another person to eradicate. She needed more bloodshed to be able to handle the dirtied heart of the sun goddess.

Knowing that _Amaterasu's _lover was coming for her, Luna used most of her powers to destroy the heart into pieces and put up illusionary walls to hide it because, even though she was tempted to do so, she couldn't pick it up for the evil deity wasn't ready. Luna created a crystal ball where she sealed her remaining power so that she could use it without wasting too much.

"Once I regain my power, I'll destroy all of you," Luna thought, her fiery eyes glowing.

* * *

"We need to hurry," Kaito declared as the four of them ran through the forest.

While Kaito was unconscious, he had a premonition that he thought was just a simple dream. He dreamt about Rin running through the forest, her feet bare, while she carried something in her hands. He couldn't tell what it was, but he knew it was a weapon. Her _kazami _was dirtied as she ran through the forest in a hurry. She kept on running until she found an old temple with a dark aura surrounding it. Rin bravely went in after she gathered her courage with a big, deep breath. After he heard a scream from inside the old temple, Kaito woke up, his eyes widened in horror, not sure of what happened inside.

"This is it," Kaito quietly said, seeing the temple from a couple of feet away behind the bushes.

"Should we go in? It looks dangerous," Neru said with worry.

"I'll go," Momo courageously volunteered.

"I'll go with you. _Hime_, stay here with _Tamayori-hime _so you'll be safe," Kaito said to Miku.

"No! I'll go with you!" she protested.

"You can't! It's dangerous!"

"I don't care! I'm not…I'm not getting separated from you again! Our fate gave us nothing but heartbreak; making us yearn for each other in misery…I'm coming with you!" Miku determinedly said.

"Don't let go, understood?" Kaito said, holding Miku's hand.

"_Tamayori_, if we aren't back with _Orihime_, then I give you permission to come in and help us," Momo said, holding her little sister's hands.

Neru nodded in response, her golden eyes fired up in fortitude. She could feel her sister's fear because she could hear Momo's heart trembling and feel her hands shaking. Neru was aware that she had to be strong for her older sister to not be a burden. Momo gave Neru a tight hug before she, Kaito, and Miku ran to the almost-ruined temple. Just before she went in, Momo heard Neru's voice from where she was.

"_Ane-ue!" _Neru yelled.

Momo turned around to look at her sister's face, bearing in mind that it might be the last time she'll see her precious, little sister's face.

"Be safe," Neru sadly smiled, tears forming in her golden eyes.

Momo nodded and smiled, trying to hide the tears that were starting to fall down her smooth cheeks. She disappeared along with Kaito and Miku as they ran inside the temple to look for Rin.

"_Orihime! Orihime!" _the three yelled, looking from side to side.

"Shh," Miku said, hearing something.

She heard footsteps and the sound of something being dragged on the floor at the hallway eastward. They all walked towards that hallway to see who it was. When they were about to reach that hallway, they saw Rin hiding behind a wooden pillar, drawing a bow and arrow. They didn't make any sounds even though they wanted to call Rin because the blonde-headed girl drew her arrow towards _Izanami._

"_Orihime,_" Miku thought, worry in her mind as her eyes widened in horror.

"_Shinu, Izanami!" _yelled Rin, letting go of the string.

The arrow flung towards Luna, who turned around to see the arrow that was lit up from Rin's spiritual powers. Because _Orihime's _mother was a _miko_, she inherited her purifying powers and used her last arrow to try and hit Luna.

Miku, Kaito, and Momo's eyes grew wide in shock as the arrow passed by _Izanami's _face. They, including _Izanami_, watched the purified arrow hit the dark-mauve crystal ball that held _Izanami's _remaining powers.

* * *

"Huh?" Gakupo thought, noticing that the barrier disappeared.

He was able to use his fox ears to listen to what was going on and see better in the dark with his fox eyes. He slowly walked around to observe what was going on, checking if there was something threatening nearby.

"There was a barrier all along?" Gakupo asked himself, feeling foolish for not noticing it a little earlier.

While he walked around slowly and silently, he noticed some small pieces of orbs quickly go in two different directions. He wanted to follow them, but didn't know which ones to follow. He was debating on whether to follow the ones that went to the eastern hallway or the western hallway.

"What are these?" Gakupo quietly asked himself, catching one of them.

Then, he remembered something from awhile ago. The sun goddess' tainted heart was gone, resulting to her lifelessness.

"Luka's…heart…shattered?" Gakupo thought, his eyes wide in confusion for he knew that Luka's heart, the sun, can't break.

When he sensed something from the eastern hallways, he decided to follow the pieces that flew eastwards.

"_Izanami!_ _Doko da_?" Gakupo thought in anger, letting go of the orb he caught as he ran faster.

* * *

"_Temae!_" Luna yelled in anger, her eyes glowing red, as the illusionary walls and barriers she put up disappeared and her remaining powers returned to her.

Knowing what Luna was about to do, Miku tried to run towards Rin to protect her, but was held back by Kaito. He wrapped his arms around Miku's arms and waist, her back on Kaito's chest. He held her as tight as he could for she struggled from his grip while Momo held out her arms in front of her to stop her from struggling.

"_Orihime! Orihime!" _Miku screamed with terror in her eyes.

Miku, Momo, Kaito watched as Luna and held out her hand and shot a dark, deathly orb towards Rin. The girl tried to protect herself with her sacred bow, but her powers had reached its limit and as the orb grew bigger and brighter, she was killed in the process.

When the light vanished, Miku stopped struggling and Momo's arms dropped to her side, their minds and bodies shocked of what they were seeing. Kaito also loosened his embrace, realizing that his premonition came true.

Right in front of them was the dead, bloody body of _Orihime, _still holding onto the bow.

"_Iiya!" _Miku yelled in disbelief, tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_dare- _"who is that?"

_ano koe- _"that voice"

_ugokenai- _"I can't move"

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight (Len)

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess (Rin)

_tatami- _mat made of rice straws

_Ninigi- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime (Kaito)

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_kazami- _layered silk robe that were worn by noble women from the Heian Period

_hime- _princess

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister (Neru)

_ane-ue_- big sister (more polite way of saying 'onee-chan')

_shinu- _"die"

_miko- _shrine maiden

_doko da-_ "where are you?"

_temae- _"you" (manly/rude way of saying "_anata"_)

_iiya-_ "no"


	34. Chapter 34: Sorrowful Goodbyes

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 34: Sorrowful Goodbyes

"_Orihime! Hime!" _Miku cried, collapsing by the princess' pale, bloody corpse.

"_Me o samashite kudasai!_" she plead.

Miku's heart broke after she watched Rin lost her life in the hands of _Izanami_. She and _Orihime _didn't serve the same gods, but they were childhood friends. Miku remembered those times when she and Rin would always play with dolls together by the _sakura _tree. They told each other their secrets and they never had arguments that threatened their friendship. Miku reminisced the last time she saw Rin before they were separated to serve the sun goddess and moon god. That last time Miku saw her was also the time Rin confessed her feelings about Len.

* * *

"_Sakuya! Sakuya!" _Rin called, looking for her teal-haired friend in her palace.

Rin called Miku _Sakuya _for her full name, _Konohanasakuya-hime,_ was too long. They've been friends since they were little, and today, the two found out some news they didn't expect.

"_Orihime," _Miku called as soon as she saw Rin's blonde hair and vibrant _kazami_.

"_Sakuya, _I have something important to tell you!"

"Same here, _Orihime._"

They walked to their usual spot by the _sakura _tree and gracefully sat down on a large, square-shaped cloth that they lay on the ground. Their long hair was beautifully spread out on the ground with their _kazami_. Silence lingered between the two as they waited for the other person to say something.

"_Nee!" _the two exclaimed together, their faces turning red.

They were aware that this was the first awkward moment they've ever had aside from when they first met. Both of them were shy little girls when they first met, so they both waited for the other to speak up first.

"Go ahead," Miku smiled.

"No, you can go," Rin replied also.

Silence was by them again, the wind blowing by the tree, making some of the flower petals fall like rain.

"I'm going to serve _Amaterasu-sama!_" "I'm going to serve _Tsukuyomi-sama_!"

They looked at each other with wide eyes and shocked expressions. They've said something that was very alike, yet quite different.

"You're serving the sun goddess?" Miku asked first.

Rin nodded, her expression a little melancholic. Miku understood why her expression was like that.

"They told me that _Amaterasu-sama _can never meet _Tsukuyomi-sama. _The reason why they wanted us to serve them was so that they would never meet," Rin narrated.

"Because it was forbidden for them to meet," Miku finished.

The silence lingered once again as the gentle, spring breeze whistled by. They didn't know what else to say because in their heads, they were aware that they'll never see each other again. The sun goddess' palace was in the east while the moon god's was in the west. Unless they break the rules, they would never see each other again.

"Do you know who else is going to be serving _Tsukuyomi-sama _with you?" _Orihime _asked.

"There's me, _Tamayori-hime_, and another new servant named _Hikoboshi_."

"_Hiko…boshi_?" Rin asked, her heart stopping in shock.

"Yeah, why?"

A tear escaped Rin's eyes as she tried to think of an answer to her best friend's question. To make it easier for Rin to explain to Miku what was going on, she took out something that was wrapped around in a soft and smooth silk fabric that seemed too elegant even for a princess like her.

"This is from _Tsukuyomi-sama_," Rin said, showing Miku a gorgeous hairpin with jewels like diamonds and rubies embedded on the sun-shaped décor.

"Before I swore to his service, he asked me to do him a favor instead of being his servant. I agreed and so, he has given me the task to give this hairpin to the sun goddess. He did not tell me why, but he did tell me to keep it a secret. After that, he told me to become _Amaterasu-sama's _servant, and that he'll just look for another one."

"So, basically, you were originally to become _Tsukuyomi-sama's _servant like me?" _Konohanasakuya-hime _asked in shock.

Rin nodded, still keeping the dejected look on her face.

"From what you just told me, it turns out that the new servant he asked for was _Hikoboshi_."

Miku didn't get why Rin was sad about something like that. She only remembered _Hikoboshi _from when he complimented Rin's _kagura_ during a festival. After that, the boy had been visiting Rin and setting up secret meetings at night with her, but recently it had stopped.

"_Hikoboshi ni…koi ni ochita no yo."_

Miku was speechless from what Rin said. She couldn't believe that Rin had fallen in love with a lowly knight like him. A princess and a lowly knight falling in love with each other is like the empress using an cheap and ugly rag to wipe her face.

"_Orihime_, if your father finds out—"

"I know."

Rin replied with sadness in her blue eyes.

"He'll banish a low-ranked knight like him from the lands. That's why he and I volunteered to be servants for the sun goddess and the moon god. We thought we'd be serving the same one, but I guess we still got separated."

Rin's eyes were full of sadness. She knew that the moon god's appointing her as the sun goddess' new servant was unchangeable; therefore, she and Len's fate were, too. During that moment of reflection, she realized that no matter how much they try to be together, they'll always be apart. A few days later, the two lovers said their tearful goodbyes, knowing that they'll rarely see each other again.

After Rin got to the sun goddess' palace, she talked to her alone and gave her the pin. That was when the goddess granted her one wish to be with _Hikoboshi _for one whole day. The goddess promised that once a year, a bridge of light using her powers will form so that the two can meet without violating any rules or disturbances from others. It happened like that every year, until that one fateful day, when the light never shone. That was when _Amaterasu _hid inside _Ama no Iwato _and never came out because the first Providence wasn't successful. Ever since then, _Hikoboshi and Orihime _never saw each other which worried _Konohanasakuya-hime_ more than anyone else because she didn't want to see her dearest best friend's tears.

Miku knew their secret love for each other. She knew of their secret meetings at night before they became servants. She knew of the bridge of light that they use to meet each other once a year. She knew of their miserable fate. She knew that they'll never be together unless a miracle actually happened. She loved _Orihime _like her own sister.

* * *

Miku kept on sobbing and sobbing, not even giving a care about how dangerous it was for her to let her guard down. Momo and Kaito also couldn't believe that Rin was dead. They couldn't do anything to bring her back. The two of them wanted to cry with Miku, but they know that they have to be strong for her. All three were distracted because of the corpse lying in front of them that they weren't aware of what was happening to Luna.

While they sobbed for their loss of a dear comrade, Luna was absorbing the powers of Luka's tainted, shattered heart. Luna wasn't able to gain Luka's powers earlier that she used most of her powers to shatter it. The evil deity knew that if any of Luka's friends tried to get it back, they'd have to find the pieces first. She could've absorbed the blackened heart's powers already, but because she wasn't tainted enough, she couldn't handle the strong powers Luka's corrupted heart. However, _Izanami _was no longer unable to take in her powers because she was dirtied enough to hold it.

The pieces of the broken heart floated to her direction, her body glowing with a stronger, darker aura as it slowly ascended. The more fragments she absorbed, the better _Izanami _felt. She smiled at the thought of finally becoming stronger than anyone. After all the tiny orbs of dark light decreased into nothing, _Izanami _felt stronger with all the sun goddess' contaminated powers running through her.

"So this is the sun goddess' powers," _Izanami _said to herself as she looked at the resonating aura from her hands.

"_Tameshitte miyou ka, kono chikara o?"_ _Izanami _sinisterly smiled, looking at the sobbing humans.

She turned her right hand towards Rin and Miku, a dark, violet lightning jolting out from her hand and shooting towards the sobbing girl. Before it hit the princess, Kaito's alert eyes saw the light coming.

"_Hime!_"

Kaito almost suffered the same fate as Len, who acted as a shield to protect Rin, but the couple was lucky for they rolled off the direction where the light almost hit them.

"_Ninigi! Daijoubu?" _Miku exclaimed, seeing Kaito's unconscious face on top of her.

Even though they were lucky enough not to lose their lives, they weren't as fortunate as they thought they were. Kaito's body was bombarded with wounds that bled nonstop and the cloth that covered his back was burnt. Miku also suffered some injuries, but she couldn't feel anything for she worried about Kaito more.

"Tsk, I missed," Luna said, disappointed.

"But this power is truly amazing," she thought, remembering how fast the dark lightning shot out of her hand and how strong it was.

"_Izanami!_"

Luna looked up to see Momo's furious, determined look. Her green eyes burned with passion to kill _Izanami _for what she had done to her friends.

"_Toyotama-hime_, how have you and your master been?" joked Luna.

"_Fuzakenaide! _I know you have her, so return _Amaterasu-sama _to us!" Momo yelled in anger.

"I'm not done with her yet. I'm just getting started, _hime," Izanami _smiled.

"I've absorbed all of her powers, meaning I have her heart. Her dirtied, miserable heart is all mine," Luna evilly smiled as the heart inside of her glowed a dark light.

"She's still alive, yes, but she has no feelings, memories, whatsoever. So, if you still want a lifeless piece of junk like her, I'll gladly give her to you."

Offended of what Luna called the goddess, Momo clenched her fist as her eyes grew in shock and madness. She quickly ran to Luna and attacked her, making her fall back to the ground.

"How dare you touch me!" Luna screamed in anger.

Luna used her newly-attained powers and hit Momo with an invisible aura that sent her flying back to where she was. She hit the wall like she hit the tree from their first encounter days earlier. Momo slowly fell back down, her face hitting the dusty, creaking floor.

"_Toyotama-hime!_" Miku screamed in horror.

The princess slowly sat up, blood coming out from her mouth and a gash from her head. She held onto her stomach, still feeling the pain of the dark powers that hit her. When she saw Miku's sad face and Luna's slowly walking towards them, she knew that the teal-haired girl can't be in anymore danger.

"Go," Momo said as Miku quickly approached her to help her up.

"Get _Ninigi-dono_ and leave from here. Go somewhere safe."

"_Iiya da!_" Miku protested, seeing Momo in pain.

"Go!"

"_Demo—"_

"_Hayaku!" _

Miku met eyes with the suffering Momo and saw her determination to destroy the evil deity that put everyone in so much misery. She couldn't argue with Momo because she couldn't handle seeing her in pain. Miku slowly got up and returned to where Kaito was and helped him up. She put one of his arms around her shoulders and dragged him as fast as she could.

"_Hime!" _Momo called before Miku left the room where they were in to safety.

"Tell my sister I love her."

Miku's eyes grew in shock and sadness, realizing the meaning of what she said. She didn't want to do as she was told, but Miku knew that she had to for it was an important task given to her by Momo. Miku nodded with tears running down her dirty face before she headed out with the still-unconscious Kaito. Momo smiled with tears in her eyes as she watched Miku and Kaito's figures disappear.

"_Sayonara._"

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess; 3rd servant of Amaterasu (Rin)

_hime- _princess

_me o samashite kudasai- _"please open your eyes"

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_sakura- _cherry blossom

_Sakuya_- Orihime's nickname for Konohanasakuya-hime

_Konohanasakuya-hime_- Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life; 2nd servant of Tsukuyomi (Miku)

_kazami- _layered silk robe that were worn by noble women from the Heian Period

_nee- _"hey"

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_Hikoboshi- _Orihime's lover; a knight; 3rd servant of Tsukuyomi (Len)

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister; 1st servant of Tsukuyomi(Neru)

_kagura- _ancient Shinto dance meaning "god-entertainment"

_Hikoboshi ni...koi ni ochita no yo- _"I fell in love...with Hikoboshi"

_Ama no Iwato- _heavenly rock cave

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_tameshitte miyou ka, kono chikara o- _"How about we give it a try, this power"

_Ninigi- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime; 2nd servant of Amaterasu (Kaito)

_daijoubu- _"are you alright"

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister; 1st servant of Amaterasu (Momo)

_fuzakenaide- _"stop joking around"

_iiya da- _"no"

_demo- _"but"

_hayaku- _"hurry"

_sayonara- _"goodbye"


	35. Chapter 35: The Last Kiss

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 35: The Last Kiss

"Are you sure about this, _hime_?" _Izanami_ asked with a smirk on her face.

"You might want to go with your friends unless you don't value your life."

Momo panted, trying to catch her breath. She knew that she had no chance of surviving if she stayed to fight Luna, but at least she'd be able to weaken the evil deity if she used all her powers to attack her. Momo stood up with all her might, her eyes burning with fury.

"I'm sick and tired of you, _Izanami_!" Momo yelled with her fists clenched.

She ran towards the deity and attacked her with the powers she received to become the sun goddess' servant. _Toyotama-hime _was once a normal princess with her younger sister, _Tamayori-hime _until they were picked and separated to become _Amaterasu _and _Tsukuyomi_'s servants. All of their three main servants were granted powers to help keep the sun goddess and the moon god from seeing each other. Momo now realized that keeping them away from each other wouldn't really make anything better, so she used her powers to protect her master for deep inside, she could feel that _Amaterasu _was still alive.

Luna dodged Momo's attack with a smile, aware that she wouldn't get hurt with the princess' mere attacks. Momo kept on sending balls of her power towards Luna, but to no avail. Suddenly, Luna disappeared from Momo's sight because of the smokes forming from the attacks that hit the walls and pillars of the temple.

"Show yourself!" Momo screamed, getting ready to attack while she looked around.

Momo couldn't see anything from all the smoke, but she was as alert as a mouse. She kept on looking to her left, to her right, above her, and even below her to make sure that she could finally injure _Izanami. _Suddenly, Momo saw a figure from nearby. She squinted her eyes to make out the figure because she knew it wasn't _Izanami._

"_Otoko_?" Momo asked herself when she saw the tall, broad-shouldered figure walking slowly towards her.

She took her time to walk towards the figure, still keeping her guard up. Momo's eyes lit up with delight when she saw the purple hair that swayed while the figure walked.

"_Tsukuyomi-sama!"_ Momo called out.

The smoke started clearing and the figure became clearer to reveal that she was right.

It was Gakupo walking towards her.

"_Toyotama-hime_!" Gakupo yelled back, returning his sword back in his sheath.

Just when Momo was about to reach Gakupo, she was stopped by something painful and unbearable that came from her stomach. Momo's eyes grew in shock as she slowly looked down to see what happened. Gakupo, who couldn't believe what he was seeing, did not move due to shock.

A sword pierced through Momo's body, the blade she was looking at covered in her own blood. Momo didn't understand what was going on for all she could see was red blood flowing out of her.

It was Luna.

"_Hime_!" Gakupo yelled in horror after he watched Luna's figure appeared while she quickly pulled the sword out of Momo's body.

"I didn't wish for everything to end this way, Momo-san," Luna said, remembering the days when Momo had no clue about the Providence and served her with a smile all the time.

Momo dropped to her knees and then, slowly to the floor. Her heart stopped beating and her mind wasn't working anymore, but her eyes were still opened in horror. The once-beautiful green eyes were no longer the same for the owner was lifeless.

_Toyotama-hime _was dead.

"No!" Gakupo yelled as he drew his sword once again to fight Luna.

The evil deity put up a shield that protected her from Gakupo's sword. No matter how many times he tried to hit her, the shield only deflected them. Luna smiled from behind her shield as she watched Gakupo try to break her barrier with all his strength.

"It's useless, moon god. I now have your dear lover's powers," she smiled as she showed him the dark lightning orb she formed with her acquired powers.

Gakupo's anger built up when he remembered the lifeless body of _Amaterasu _that he found earlier. Unable to control his anger, he used his powers to attack Luna and pointed his sword towards the deity as his godly powers ran from his hands through the sword and out to her barrier. Unfortunately, his powers weren't strong enough to even crack the shield.

"_Muda da_, _Tsukuyomi_!" Luna called out.

"Your powers are no longer equal to the sun goddess' powers. Her powers are now corrupt and evil has taken over their purity," Luna smiled.

Even angrier, Gakupo hit Luna's shield with his power-filled sword. Luna just stood there, not even putting an effort into the fight. She was full of happiness to see that Gakupo was suffering just to get her hurt. After getting annoyed and frustrated with Luna's smiles and happiness, Gakupo took a deep breath and lunged towards Luna's barrier with a stronger force of power. Tired and weak, Gakupo thought it was going to be the same as before and will result to his end. However, it was different from last time because luckily, he was able to crack the barrier with the attack he just did.

"This is impossible! He couldn't have done that! If it continues this way, this barrier that I can't recreate will get destroyed!" Luna panicked in her mind.

While she was dozing off to reflect on what Gakupo had done to her barrier, Gakupo attacked her once again with the same amount of power he used to crack her shield after he felt good about the results. Finally, the barrier shattered into pieces as if they were made of glass. They gradually disappeared into thin air while Luna, who fell after the pressure of Gakupo's power slightly hit her, watched them in anger.

"_Onore_!" Luna yelled in anger, her teeth clenched together like her fists.

Before Luna could hit Gakupo, he delivered another blow, sending her flying to a pillar. She fell back down on the floor face first after the pillar was destroyed from the impact.

"Why did he become so strong all of a sudden?" Luna asked herself as she looked at Gakupo from the smokes that formed from when she fell.

"_Luka wa doko_?" Gakupo yelled out loud.

"Luka?" _Izanami _thought, confused.

When the smoke cleared out, Luna looked at something that shocked her.

Gakupo wasn't in his true self. He wasn't _Tsukuyomi._ He was Gakupo, the human form of the moon god. His fox ears disappeared and so did his fox eyes. His hair wasn't past his waist, but to his shoulder blades. This was something Luna didn't understand for she knew that if the people involved with the Providence had already turned into their true forms as either gods or deities, they couldn't turn back into a human again. She couldn't think of any possible exceptions especially for Gakupo, the human form of _Tsukuyomi_, because he was the reason why the first Providence didn't occur.

"Do you think you can beat me in your human form, _Tsukuyomi_?" Luna asked with a smile on her face and a sign of irritation in her eyes as she slowly got up.

Getting no answer back, Luna became more annoyed and tried to attack Gakupo while he was panting to catch his breath, but suddenly, a bright, medium-sized orb of light hit Luna, sending her back to where she was once again. She tried to get up, but the orb of light, surprisingly, held her to the wall as they acted like chains. When she looked up to see where it came from, she felt threatened and scared of who was there.

Gakupo didn't understand what was going on. He watched Luna get sent back to where she was with an orb of light that came from behind him. The orb of light was so bright that it partially lit up the whole, dark temple. He looked behind him to see where it came from because it was obviously something that helped him even though its passing near him also injured him a little. Gakupo clenched onto his aching wounds on his stomach while he waited for the figure to come out of the dark.

Out of the blue, Gakupo heard familiar sounds. They were the sounds that led him to the temple. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the recognizable, golden shrine bells tied to a pale foot with a red ribbon. As he looked at the pale feet slowly move towards him, the figure became clearer and clearer. He could see the beautiful red _juunihitoe _that dropped to the ground and the gorgeous, long, pink hair that was dragged on the floor.

It was the lifeless shell of Luka Megurine.

Gakupo didn't move because he was shocked and confused. He still couldn't believe that the lifeless, immobile shell that he left earlier was now moving towards him. He was scared of Luka's eyes that contained no signs of feelings. They were neither jubilant nor terrified, but neutral. She had no smile on her face and her arms just hung down to her side. She was completely lifeless, but she was moving.

The sound of the bells slowly approached Gakupo as he stood there, still dumbfounded. While Luna watched the lifeless goddess walk towards Gakupo, she noticed something with the chains of bright lightning that held her to the wall. Some of them were a dark shade of purple turning into the bright light that struck her.

"They're…getting purified?" Luna thought in disbelief.

She quickly looked back at the two that were a distant away from her and panicked. Finally understanding the situation, she opened her mouth and warned Gakupo.

"If she comes any closer to you, Gakupo," Luna yelled with a smile on her face.

"She'll disappear!"

When Gakupo heard this, he took small steps back away from the still-walking Luka at a snail's pace. He wanted to take more steps, but somehow couldn't do it. It was like he was stuck to the ground.

"_Kuru na, _Luka," Gakupo said, the volume of his voice low and the tone scared.

Even though Luka wore the _juunihitoe _that _Amaterasu _wore, she wasn't in her true form because she had no heart. She didn't listen to what Gakupo said and kept on walking while her lips move even though no voice came out. When Gakupo noticed this, his eyes showed sadness when he was able to understand what Luka was mouthing with her pale, pink lips. Awestruck, Gakupo stopped trying to take steps back and just waited for Luka to stop because she was trying to call out his name. It wasn't his true form's name, but his human form's name.

Gakupo.

Luka got closer and closer to Gakupo as he stood there, almost in tears. When she finally reached him, she put her hand on his shoulders and stood on her toes. She slowly moved her head beside Gakupo's and whispered into his ear the words that he never wanted to hear from her.

"_Sayonara._"

Gakupo's eyes grew wide in shock, fear, grief, and pain. He had no time to think as Luka quickly moved her head back and kissed him. Luka closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face. Without his noticing, the white lightning that chained Luna to the wall was being absorbed by his body. He couldn't feel anything because he could only feel Luka's sadness even though she had no heart. He still didn't get it. He didn't understand how that was possible.

After the 10-seconds-long kiss, Luka slowly fell back as if an imaginary force made her gradually fall to the ground. Before she could hit the dusty, wooden floor, she smiled at the wide-eyed Gakupo, who was watching her fall, and said the sweetest words Gakupo hadn't heard in a long time.

"_Aishiteru._"

When Luka finally hit the ground, a thump that echoed in Gakupo's head made his heart stop beating, as her body glowed and slowly disappeared into shimmering lights that turned into thin air along with the chain of white lightning that he absorbed. However, his body was glowing without his knowing. Gakupo fell to his knees beside what was left of Luka, which were her clothes.

Everything was crystal clear. Luka was gone. Forever.

"Luka!"

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_hime- _princess

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Toyotama-hime- _Princess Toyotama; Princess Tamayori's older sister; 1st servant of Amaterasu (Momo)

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister; 1st servant of Tsukuyomi(Neru)

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_otoko- _man

_muda da- _"it's useless"

_onore-_ you (insulting way)

_Luka wa doko_- "where's Luka"

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_kuru na- _"don't come"

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_sayonara- _"goodbye"

_aishiteru- _"I love you"


	36. Chapter 36: Revelation

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 36: Unbelievable and Heartbreaking Revelation

Gakupo's voice echoed throughout the temple as he mourned for the death of his beloved, Luka. His body glowed while he cried on his knees, his head facing the floor where Luka's clothes lay. He grasped the sleeve of the _juunihitoe _she wore, his tears falling to it.

While he mourned, Luna stretched from the soreness she received from the chains of light that bound her. She understood what was going on, but was still confused as to why Gakupo was back to being human. She looked at Gakupo while he cried, noticing that his body was giving off a purified, white aura. Luna arched her eyebrows when she realized how and why he was glowing, but she was scared of the possibility she thought of.

"_Onore_."

Luna's eyes widened in shock when he heard Gakupo's voice that broke the silence that lingered. It wasn't the only thing that shocked her, but also his appearance. His fox ears and knee-length hair were back, his aura also stronger. Luna realized she wasn't looking at Gakupo. She was looking at a revengeful, stronger moon god.

She was looking at _Tsukuyomi_.

Before she even knew it, Gakupo was already right in front of her, his face only two fingers away from hers. Her eyes widened more as she felt an unforeseen blow that was mixed with the purified powers he was giving off. It was as if Gakupo stopped time itself just so he could make Luna taste pain because it took three seconds before she flew off to the wall after he punched her in the abdomen.

When Luna hit the wall, blood spurted out of her mouth as she felt a little weaker from the blow _Tsukuyomi _had just delivered. Before her face fell to the ground, she landed on her feet and clenched onto her stomach while she wiped the blood from the side of her lips.

"_Omoshiro sou,_" Luna smirked, her eyes burning with blood-thirst.

Luna's speed wasn't as fast as _Tsukuyomi_'s, but since she had darker powers than him, the dark was in her side. She was able to see through the smoke and dark, and before Gakupo could even realize that she already got up, _Izanami_ was already behind him.

"I'm right here," she whispered in his ears with a smile on her face.

When Gakupo turned around, a dark ball of lightning hit him, sending him to the ground, face first. He got up, also wiping some blood from his mouth.

Before Luna said something, her eyes grew wide when Gakupo looked up to her as she floated from the ground.

"His eyes…are human…eyes?" Luna asked in her mind, confused.

Luna attacked once again before Gakupo could, sending him back to the ground. His determination to defeat the evil deity helped him rise up from the ground once again. Seeing the next attack, Gakupo put up both of his hands to form a shield that protected him. He pushed the shield to deflect the attack to Luna when his anger and disappointment turned into will power.

Luna, having received more attack this time, flew back to the wall, destroying more pillars. She was unconscious for a brief moment for the attack got a little of her. Luna slowly opened her eyes as she felt something around her neck.

When she looked down, she saw an arm that extended to her neck coming from a still-blurry face. Luna felt cold, strong fingers that wrapped around her neck, the nails digging through them. It was tight enough to make her feel pain, but it wasn't tight enough to kill her, or cut her airflow. After tightly closing her eyes, the blur went away and she could clearly see who it was. Of course, it was _Tsukuyomi_ that grasped her slim neck.

"Don't look at me like that," Luna angrily said, seeing Gakupo's furious, sharp eyes.

"Why shouldn't I? You're the one who killed her!" Gakupo yelled, tightening his grip a little.

Luna let out a short, silent yelp that didn't beg for help, but instead, tried to sound mighty as she tried to hide her pain. Luna grabbed onto Gakupo's wrist and burned them with the dark, purple fire that came from her hands. Hurt, Gakupo threw _Izanami _to the ground as he fell from shock-like burn that ran up from his wrist throughout his whole arm.

"Me? Killed her?" Luna loudly asked, her voice echoing.

She looked down on Gakupo who was still on the ground while she stood in front of him, looking almighty and powerful.

"You think I killed her?"

Gakupo pointed her eyes at her that showed looks that could kill. He rubbed his wrist, feeling the painful burn from Luna's silent attack. Even though he wanted to attack, he wanted to hear what Luna had in store. His breaths got heavier as he contained more of his anger and patience to attack inside.

"_Karakawanaide._"

With what Luna just said, Gakupo reached his patience's limit and got up to attack. He pulled his right arm back and clenched his fist, the purified lightning forming.

"You're the one who killed her!" Luna interrupted, revealing a painful, unbelievable statement.

Gakupo froze, his arm still pulled back and powers still emanating from his fist. His eyes were widened in shock, a sweat flowing down from his forehead. His fists also shook in fear and disbelief of what Luna had just said.

"You're the one who killed Luka, Gakupo," Luna repeated.

"You killed _Amaterasu_, _Tsukuyomi_."

"_Yamero!_" the moon god yelled, putting his hands to his ears to prevent Luna's voice from reaching them.

"Why do you think I warned you?" Luna asked, her eyes furious while her fists also shook.

Gakupo remembered what happened just moments before he felt more power in his body. He remembered the short moment that felt like a long time. It was that moment when Luka gave her last kiss and said her goodbye to him.

* * *

It was the lifeless shell of Luka Megurine.

Gakupo didn't move because he was shocked and confused. He still couldn't believe that the lifeless, immobile shell that he left earlier was now moving towards him. He was scared of Luka's eyes that contained no signs of feelings. They were neither jubilant nor terrified, but neutral. She had no smile on her face and her arms just hung down to her side. She was completely lifeless, but she was moving.

"If she comes any closer to you, Gakupo," Luna yelled with a smile on her face.

"She'll disappear!"

When Gakupo heard this, he took small steps back away from the still-walking Luka at a snail's pace. He wanted to take more steps, but somehow couldn't do it. It was like he was stuck to the ground.

"_Kuru na,_Luka," Gakupo said, the volume of his voice low and the tone scared.

Even though Luka wore the _juunihitoe _that _Amaterasu _wore, she wasn't in her true form because she had no heart. She didn't listen to what Gakupo said and kept on walking while her lips move even though no voice came out. When Gakupo noticed this, his eyes showed sadness when he was able to understand what Luka was mouthing with her pale, pink lips. Awestruck, Gakupo stopped trying to take steps back and just waited for Luka to stop because she was trying to call out his name. It wasn't his true form's name, but his human form's name.

Gakupo.

"_Sayonara._"

Gakupo's eyes grew wide in shock, fear, grief, and pain. He had no time to think as Luka quickly moved her head back and kissed him. Luka closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face. Without his noticing, the white lightning that chained Luna to the wall was being absorbed by his body. He couldn't feel anything because he could only feel Luka's sadness even though she had no heart. He still didn't get it. He didn't understand how that was possible.

After the 10-seconds-long kiss, Luka slowly fell back as if an imaginary force made her gradually fall to the ground. Before she could hit the dusty, wooden floor, she smiled at the wide-eyed Gakupo, who was watching her fall, and said the sweetest words Gakupo hadn't heard in a long time.

"_Aishiteru._"

"Luka!"

* * *

"The reason why she disappeared…is because you made contact with her."

Gakupo was still in shock as he listened to Luna. He was still frozen while his voice yelling Luka's name echoed in his mind.

"I wasn't tainted enough to absorb Luka's dirtied heart into my body. That's why I broke it into pieces when I took it from her so that none of you can retrieve it," Luna remembered her plan, having the courtesy to tell everything to her enemy.

"I used the little powers I had left to break the dirtied heart into pieces, to turn the pieces into power sources for the illusionary walls, to make a crystal ball that monitored the whole temple, and of course, kill your precious friend, _Orihime_, but I don't think you were there to see that," Luna smirked as if it was a funny joke.

Gakupo clenched his fist in anger, his eyes slightly showing sadness because didn't know about Rin'sdeath.

"After I killed your precious friend, I was tainted enough and the pieces flew to me. I absorbed them and now, I contain the so-called sun. It's no longer a sun, obviously because it's not giving out light," Luna sinisterly giggled, angering Gakupo more.

"However, I was aware of its not being full. It contained holes and unrepaired parts. That was why I made a barrier that I can't recreate after it was broken that was stronger than your powers. Somehow, you in your human form broke it and I lost some power," she said, her stature of calm, yet evil, coming back.

"That was when the orb of light hit me. The orb turned into chains of lightning that bound me to the wall. I observed it and realized something…then, Luka's empty shell walked out of the darkness, revealing that it was from her. My assumption wasn't wrong, so I warned you…but you didn't listen."

Luna took a small pause as she enjoyed the sight of a pitiful, regretful _Tsukuyomi_.

"The reason why the heart that I absorbed had holes was because somehow, the pieces went to the original owner, Luka."

When Luna told him that, Gakupo remembered that time when walls slowly disappeared as orbs of dark purple light floated in two different directions. Very few went to the east, and many went west. Those that went to the east were being absorbed by Luka while those that went east were being absorbed by Luna.

"I don't know how she did it, but Luka purified those remaining pieces of her heart. Each piece contained something. They were feelings, memories, or movement. Apparently, she absorbed pieces that contained feelings of pain, sadness, and longing, and the movement to walk, whisper, and of course, kiss. She also absorbed pieces that contained memories of you. Not you as a god, but you as a human. She remembered being human, not being a goddess. She remembered loving Gakupo, not _Tsukuyomi_."

Luna's eyes softened as if she was touched by the truth she told Gakupo. It was as if she felt like she needed to be good, but the next events that she told Gakupo made her feel glorious and recovered.

"When Luka kissed you, she sent the pieces of her heart to you so that you could have at least some of her powers. After her powers blended with yours, her body which is the sun's shell, no longer had purpose and disappeared," Luna continued.

"And now, I realized that you have become _Tsukuyomi _again. You've turned into the moon god again with his fox ears and knee-length hair, but your eyes are those of Gakupo's. Your eyes are human eyes, not fox," Luna said as she looked into them.

"Since she gave you the pieces of her heart, you've gained not only her powers, but memories of you and her as humans, and also the only bit of life she had left."

"_Chigau_!" Gakupo roared.

Without Luna noticing it, Gakupo was back on the floor on his knees. He covered his ears with his hands and tightly shut his eyes as tears flowed from them. He couldn't accept the truth that it was his fault that Luka was gone. His heart wasn't only broken now, but it was in pain, regret, confusion, and disbelief.

"_Sonna koto nai!_" he yelled.

"You killed her, _Izanami_! You did!" Gakupo screamed as he pointed to her.

Reaching her last bit of patience, Luna raised her hands and formed enormous amount of orbs of lightning. Before Gakupo could protect himself, Luna shot her orbs at him, firing with no end. Gakupo was hit several times and was gradually sent back to another pillar. His body was bombarded with painful, dark orbs that contained evil powers, and Luna's anger, too.

"I'm sick and tired of you blaming me for everything! _Shinae, Tsukuyomi_!" Luna growled, firing a bigger ball of dark light to Gakupo.

Already weak, Gakupo felt as if his death was near when the bigger orb hit him. He embedded a large crack on the pillar before he fell back to the ground. When his wounded, blood-filled body hit the floor, he didn't want to get up, feeling hopeless. As he closed his eyes after enduring so much pain, a tear left his eyes that ran down to the side of his bloody, dirtied cheek.

"Luka…_gomen_.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_onore- "_you" (insulting way)

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_omoshiro sou_- "seems interesting"

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_karakawanaide_- "don't ridicule me"

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_yamero-_ "stop"

_kuru na- _"don't come"

_sayonara- _"goodbye"

_aishiteru- _"I love you"

_Orihime- _Princess Ori; weaving princess (Rin)

_chigau- _"you're wrong"

_sonna koto nai_- "there's no such thing"

_shinae (actually spelled shine)_- "die"

_gomen- _"sorry"


	37. Chapter 37: Honest Ruby Eyes

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 37: Honest Ruby Eyes

"Gakupo."

Gakupo's eyes opened wide when he heard Luka's calling his name. When he opened his eyes, he saw a dark orb flying towards him. Aware of what was going on, Gakupo rolled on the floor and dodged it, the orb hitting the creaking floor instead.

"You're still alive?" Luna roared in anger as she watched the moon god get up from the floor.

"I'm going to avenge her death! I'm going to kill you, _Izanami_!" Gakupo growled, his fists clenched.

"Do you really think you can kill me, _Tsukuyomi_?" Izanami confidently yelled.

Gakupo's fists were bathed in white fire that seemed to be harmless to him. The fire danced on his fist while his body glowed and his passion to get revenge increased.

"Somehow, I can feel Luka's heartbeat. I don't know if it's because she gave me the pieces of her heart, but I know for sure that I can feel her presence," Gakupo thought in his mind, his raging eyes looking straight at Luna.

"You can't kill me, _Tsukuyomi_! You maybe a moon god, but you have human feelings now! Humans are weak! All they do is betray you!" Luna yelled in anger.

Having had enough, Gakupo dashed towards Luna, almost hitting her with his burning fists. She gracefully dodged his punch, only singeing some strands of her pale-yellow tresses.

"You don't deserve to be the moon god, _Tsukuyomi_! It only took a mere girl for you to gain human feelings? You're pathetic!" _Izanami_ smirked as she kept on dodging the angry Gakupo's attacks.

"_Damare_!" snarled Gakupo, still trying to hit Luna.

The evil deity kept on dodging the attacks, her moving around so swift, yet graceful. It was as if she was toying with the moon god's feelings. She was having fun because her eyes showed joy and malice. She was enjoying the view of Gakupo's useless attacks. _Izanami _was pleased to see him suffer.

"You're only saying that because you've never felt love before!" Gakupo yelled, breathing hard afterwards.

Luna paused for a brief moment, her eyes widened in horror when she heard what Gakupo said. Her focus was driven away, causing her to get punched in the stomach by Gakupo. She fell to the ground on her knees as she coughed some blood out from her mouth. The blood splattered on the floor, tainting it.

"Love?"

Gakupo held off his next attack when he heard Luna mutter from the ground. She stared at her blood, both her hands on the floor and still on her knees. Her tresses of pale-yellow hair covered her face, hiding her expressions.

"You said…I've never…felt love…before?" Luna asked.

Gakupo was surprised to see and hear Luna sound helpless and weak. He couldn't understand what she was saying because he couldn't see her face.

"I knew it," Luna said as she sat on the floor, her face still hidden behind her hair.

"All humans are the same. Judgmental, evil, and full of hate," she continued as she clenched her fists, still looking down on the ground.

Luna slowly looked up to face Gakupo, the hair that covered her face moving to the side. Gakupo saw Luna's lonely, teary eyes, but they show more hatred and misery.

"Just like _Izanagi_."

Gakupo's eyes widened in shock when he heard _Izanagi_'s name. Everything sounded more complicated, Gakupo's mind lost in confusion. He didn't want to believe Luna, but her blue eyes told him that she was telling the truth.

"_Dou iu…koto_?" Gakupo asked, putting his fist down.

While explaining to Gakupo what happened, _Izanami _was lost in thoughts of the past as if she was back there again.

* * *

"_Hayaku_, _Suseri-hime_!" the cheerful _Izanami_ waved as she ran towards the flowing stream.

"Be careful, _Izanami_-_sama_," her servant said as she slowly walked towards her.

_Izanami_ kneeled by the side of the stream and extended her right hand to feel the cold, refreshing water while her left hand pulled the sleeve of her _juunihitoe_. She cupped her hand and was able to scoop some water. She drank the cold and clean stream water, quenching her thirst.

"_Izanami-sama,_ we need to come back to the palace soon. Your duties as—"

"I know. I know. I understand. I'm the sun and moon goddess, so I have to properly perform my duties as the universal goddess at all times," _Izanami _said, rolling her eyes in frustration.

She got up, stretched, and took a deep breath. Then, she looked around the forest to appreciate what was around her, including the singing birds, the swaying trees, and the blowing breeze.

"_Demo_, _kore wa ii deshou_?" _Izanami_ asked, turning to her servant with a charming smile on her face.

"I suppose so," _Suseri-hime_ replied, powerless to the goddess' kind smile.

"I guess we can go now," Izanami declared, walking back to the path they took.

_Suseri-hime _and _Izanami _slowly walked down the path they took on the way to the stream. When suddenly, the goddess noticed a butterfly, whose wings were the same hue as her pale-yellow hair. She stretched out her arm in hopes to have it land on her fingers, but unfortunately, the goddess didn't see the sharp rock that was hidden by the bushes. _Izanami_ tripped over the rock, causing her to fall to the ground and even getting a cut on her foot.

"_Izanami_-_sama! Daijoubu desu ka?_" _Suseri-hime _panicked when she saw the goddess on the ground.

"Will you get help, _Suseri-hime_? I can't get up," the goddess said, frowning in pain.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be right back."

_Izanami's _servant ran back to the palace as fast as she could, leaving the injured goddess behind. _Izanami _sighed at the sight of her injured foot and the blood that was spilling out from her foot. She tried to move a little, but it hurt more than she thought it would. Moments later, she heard rustles from the bushes nearby, sending terrors in her head. She tried to brush it off, thinking it might've been just an animal, but she heard it again and this time, closer and louder.

"Wh-who's there?" she bravely asked.

When she heard more rustles and saw something coming up from the bushes, she closed her eyes and cowered as she screamed in fear. After a brief realization that she didn't feel anything, _Izanami_ opened her eyes to see a man looking down on her.

"Wh-who are you?" _Izanami _nervously asked.

The man looked at her foot, ignoring her question. He took a few steps and squatted down by the goddess' foot, examining it.

"Wh-what is it? Have you never seen a bleeding foot before?" _Izanami _asked, feeling insulted of how the man looked at her foot.

Out of the blue, the man ripped a long strip of cloth from his sleeve and wrapped _Izanami's _wound with it. She winced a little for it hurt, but after he wrapped it up, she surprisingly felt better. The goddess felt embarrassed because of how she acted towards him, so her face turned red.

"_A-arigatou_," _Izanami_ shyly said, turning her gaze to the side to avoid eye contact with the man.

"_Ikou_," the man said.

"Huh? To where?"

"We have to bring you to the doctor in the village nearby or your wound will get infected."

"I-it's fine. I'm waiting for—"

"I don't care."

Suddenly, the man carried the goddess in his arms as if she was a princess. Shocked, the goddess couldn't move and just let the man carry her out of the forest. _Izanami_ could feel her heart beat faster when she was able to get a better look of the man's face.

He was handsome and charming. His red hair was the color of blazing fire and his red eyes were the color of honesty. His chest was strong and his shoulders were beautifully sculpted. For a man, he had smooth skin and his face was free of unwanted facial hair.

"_Ouji_ _mitai_," _Izanami _thought, looking at his eyes.

When he noticed her staring at him, the man looked at her, making the goddess feel embarrassed.

"B-by the way…what's your name?" the goddess nervously asked while she fiddled with her fingers, trying to erase the memory of her embarrassment and getting rid of the awkward atmosphere between them.

"_Koko da," _he replied.

"Koko…da? That's a weird name," wondered the goddess.

"No. I meant, we're here at the doctor's place," the man replied.

Embarrassed once again, the goddess laughed at her own mistake while her whole face turned tomato red. The man brought _Izanami _inside where her wound was cleansed and properly bandaged. The village doctor gave her a staff she could use to help her walk. After thanking the doctor, the goddess hopped out of the hut on one foot, using the staff to help her balance. When she looked around for the man that helped her, he was nowhere in sight. Disappointed, she sat down on the bench by the village doctor's hut, sighing.

"Here."

_Izanami _looked up to see the man that helped her, holding an _onigiri_. _Izanami_'s eyes lit up not because of the man, but because of the food she saw.

"Food!"

She quickly grabbed the _onigiri _and gobbled it down. Shocked, the man watched her quickly finish the food he offered her. After the goddess finished the _onigiri_, she looked up in embarrassment when she realized that the man watched her sloppily eat the food like an animal.

Suddenly, the man burst into laughter, surprising _Izanami_. The man laughed so hard that he clenched onto his hurting stomach. Still embarrassed, _Izanami_ kept her head down to hide her flushed face, fidgeting with her hands on her lap again.

The man squatted down in front of the goddess so that he was shorter than her. When _Izanami _looked up at him, she saw a smile that captured her heart.

"You have something on your cheeks," he said as he wiped the piece of rice off her face.

_Izanami'_s cheeks were red as she kept on staring into his gorgeous, honest, ruby eyes. His smile was more beautiful than any smiles she had ever seen. Her eyes were widened in nervousness as she felt her heart flutter when he told her his name.

"I'm _Izanagi_."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_damare- _"shut up"

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu (Akaito)

_dou iu koto_- "what do you mean"

_hayaku- _"hurry"

_Suseri-hime- _Princess Suseri; servant of Izanami (Yukari)

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_demo, kore wa ii deshou- _"but, isn't this good"

_daijoubu desu ka- _"are you okay" (polite)

_arigatou- _"thank you"

_ikou- _"let's go"

_ouji mitai- _"he's like a prince"

_koko da_- "it's here"

_onigiri_- rice balls


	38. Chapter 38: A Mother's Sacrifice

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 38: A Mother's Sacrifice

_Izanami_ returned to the palace while she was escorted by _Izanagi_. All of her servants, especially _Suseri-hime_, were worried of her because she wasn't there when _Suseri-hime _arrived with help.

"I'm alright. He helped me," _Izanami _explained to her servants while looking out to see _Izanagi _petting a cat.

"Who is he, _Izanami-sama_?" _Suseri-hime _asked, noticing that the goddess was looking at the man with the red hair outside with a gentle smile on her face.

"He's _Izanagi_. He helped me when you left and took me to a village doctor nearby."

"What is he still doing here?"

"He said he was on his way here when he noticed me."

"What's his reason to be going here?"

"His uncle lives here and he's going to live with him from now on because his grandmother died a few days ago."

"How do you know all of this when you've only met him earlier?"

_Izanami_'s face flushed, realizing that she actually knew quite a lot of information about her new friend.

"Wh-why do you ask? My, my! You sure love asking questions don't you, _Suseri-hime_?" _Izanami_ said, her tone of voice nervous and her smile awkward.

The goddess' servant looked at her as if she had gone mad. She couldn't' understand why her master sounded nervous, but she just let it slip.

"Anyways, you must rest, _Izanami_-_sama._ I'll prepare your _futon_," the lavender-haired _Suseri-hime _declared as she bowed to excuse herself.

_Izanami _gave her servant permission to leave and turned towards the balcony. She dragged her injured foot to walk outside, her hands holding onto pillars to assist her. It was easy to drag her foot on the smooth, wooden floor, but the hard part of walking out to the garden came when she had to take a step down from the balcony without any pillars to help her. When she took the step, time slowed down when she realized that she was going to fall. However, she felt something strong that held her.

It was _Izanagi_.

"_Daijoubu_?" _Izanagi _asked, carrying the goddess like a princess again.

_Izanami_'s cheeks turned apple red when she heard her heart beat faster. His eyes were truly beautiful and _Izanami _just couldn't take her gaze away from them.

"Oh, uh…yes. I-I'm fine," _Izanami _replied.

The ruby-haired man sat her down on the balcony's edge, her feet dangling. He sat down with her as they looked at the setting sun in silence. They also watched the white cat play around with the butterflies and fireflies.

"I knew you were someone important…someone rich," _Izanagi_ said, breaking the silence.

"Huh? How did you know?" _Izanami _asked, confused.

She remembered that he still doesn't know she was the sun and moon goddess. Although everyone knew of the universal goddess, they don't know her true name or what she looks like because she rarely comes out of her palace.

"Well, your clothes gave it away. I mean, who wears an elegant _juunihitoe _to wander around the forest? You live in a palace, too," _Izanagi _continued.

"And your name," he said, not finishing his sentence.

"What about my name?"

"They're too beautiful for an ordinary woman," _Izanagi _charmingly smiled, looking at the goddess' blue eyes.

The goddess gulped down as she felt butterflies in her stomach. The man with the rose-colored hair sat closer to her, making her more anxious. Before she came apart, _Izanagi _looked away and turned back to the sun, sparing _Izanami_'s heart from exploding out of her chest in nervousness.

"The sun's beautiful, don't you think?" _Izanagi _stated.

Since _Izanami _was the sun goddess, she took his statement as a compliment and blushed in embarrassment.

"Wh-what about the moon?" the goddess asked.

"The moon's beautiful, too. It has its dark side, giving it a mysterious feel, but that's what makes it beautiful…because you get so curious that you'd want to know more," _Izanagi _smiled.

The goddess' eyes were wide in shock, her heart beating faster and louder than ever. Her cheeks were still flushed as she looked at the setting sun's reflection on _Izanagi_'s honest, fire-red eyes.

"_Sou ka_," _Izanami _thought.

"_Watakushi wa…koishiteru._"

After realizing that she had fallen in love with him, _Izanami _tried to avoid him as much as possible, but _Izanagi _visited her at the palace every day, even bringing her gifts most of the time. As the seasons passed, _Izanami _found it hard to resist him. She couldn't get rid of his feelings for him.

"I can't fall in love," _Izanami _thought, remembering what she had learned.

Since _Izanami_ was the last of the gods and goddesses, she couldn't fall in love, especially to a mere human. It was her responsibility to stay as the universal goddess, or the sun and moon goddess. If she were to stop, the whole world will be in chaos.

"_Dekimasu yo_, _Izanami-sama,"_ _Suseri-hime_ proclaimed, surprising the goddess, who was in deep thought under the moonlight.

"H-how did you know what I was thinking?" _Izanami _exclaimed, panicking.

_Suseri-hime _was her main servant because she was the granddaughter of the monk that was alive during the age of gods and goddesses. She knew all about what her father taught _Izanami _before he passed away. His father, a servant to one of the gods, knew of the rules and other information about being a god or a goddess, so he passed his knowledge down to his daughter so that she could serve _Izanami_.

"What my late father didn't tell you is that you can fall in love, may it be with a human or another god, if there's still another," _Suseri-hime _said, sitting down beside the goddess.

"The reason why he didn't tell you that was because he wanted you to remain as the universal goddess, but if you were to fall in love and get married, your power would be split into half, making you the sun goddess and your husband, the moon god," she continued.

"_Demo—_" _Izanami _protested, only to get interrupted by her companion.

"_Ii ndesu yo," Suseri-hime _friendly smiled.

"You don't have to be in pain anymore to hide your feelings for him."

With great joy overwhelming her, _Izanami_ cried on her lilac-haired servant, surprising her. _Suseri-hime _rubbed her shoulder, comforting her as she sobbed for happiness.

The very next day, _Izanami _explained to _Izanagi _about the whole situation. She was nervous, although, for she thought that he wouldn't accept her for keeping that kind of information from him. However, she thought wrong.

_Izanagi _was so joyful to hear that she shared the same feelings as him that he lifted the goddess up in the air and hugged her as tight as he could.

"I don't care who or what you are. As long as you're smiling and happy…then, I'm happy," _Izanagi _said with a big smile on his face that spread from cheek to cheek.

Months passed and the two decided to get married. Their wedding wasn't like the human's wedding ceremonies because the separation of the universal goddess' powers also required a ritual that would be incorporated with the wedding ceremony. The goddess was prepared and was willing to give up half of her power to her beloved. So, the two got married and _Izanagi_ became the moon god. The two loved each other so much that after a few seasons, the sun goddess became pregnant.

Celebrations were held for the couple and the arrival of their child. Although nervous, _Izanami _kept a smile on her face to keep _Izanagi _from worrying. She wasn't nervous about how much pain she'd be in, but of what was to be of her.

_Izanami _didn't tell _Izanagi_ of what she'd learned from _Suseri-hime _after her servant found out about her bearing a child. _Suseri-hime _told her that she was going to bear a child that can cause her death.

"What do you mean?" _Izanami _worriedly asked.

"The birthmark of your being the universal goddess disappeared because you're now the sun goddess. Since you gave half of your power to your husband, you're going to have to give your half of the power to your child to give it life and so that it could inherit your powers. As soon as you hear your child's cries, you'd only have a few moments to live."

_Izanami _froze, realizing that it was either she dies or the child doesn't live. She couldn't imagine life without her child, but she also couldn't imagine her family's life without her. However, after thinking about it for some time, she decided to give birth to their child.

"My child will become a great person. I know that," _Izanami _thought, rubbing her swollen belly.

When the time came for her delivery, she was confined in the palace to give her as much privacy. It took her a whole day to go into labor. _Izanagi_ paced back and forth outside the palace in anxiety, the moon shining bright on him like spotlight.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, _Izanami_ screamed in agony with her head full of thoughts of her memories with _Izanagi. _After being in pain for what felt like a long time, _Suseri-hime _pulled out the baby, its cries echoing in the room.

"It's a boy,_ Izanami-sama_," _Suseri-hime _announced, tears of joy coming out as she smiled.

"I…want…to see…him," _Izanami _requested as she heavily breathed, her face and lips pale and her body soaked in sweat.

Before _Suseri-hime_ handed the goddess her son, she noticed something strange that shocked and frightened her.

"His chest is glowing like the sun, but he has no birthmark," _Suseri-hime _muttered, her eyes widened in horror.

"What...do you…mean?" _Izanami _asked.

"You didn't give your moon powers to your husband…you kept it and made him the sun god," _Suseri-hime _said.

"That's why your birthmark disappeared. It wasn't because you're not the universal goddess anymore, but because you kept the wrong power. Since you were the universal goddess, you needed the stronger power as your life supply, which is the sun, but since you kept the moon power, it was not enough to supply your life and the child's at the same time, causing you to sacrifice your life."

"So…you mean to say…that my child and I…could both live…if I didn't…half my power?" _Izanami _asked, her death nearing.

_Suseri-hime _nodded, tears flowing down her eyes. The only sound they could hear was the baby boy's cries. The world outside the palace was quiet and oblivious of what _Izanami _and her servant was enduring. _Izanami _endured the fear of dying and the fear of leaving the world of the living while _Suseri-hime _endured the pain of seeing her childhood friend slowly perish. After some moments of quiet between the two, _Izanami _held out her arms after deciding.

"I love him…anyways," _Izanami_ said with a smile full of pain.

_Suseri-hime, _realizing that her master had decided, handed her the child with widened eyes. She couldn't bear the pain of what she was thinking because she knows what _Izanami_ decided to do. _Suseri-hime's _head was down, her tears being hidden from her master. _Suseri-hime_ heard _Izanami _giggle when her son held onto her index finger.

"He has my eyes…and his hair color…is as beautiful as his father's. A brave and strong purple," _Izanami _smiled.

Not being able to tolerate the pain of seeing her master in her final moments, _Suseri-hime _got up to leave the room so that her loud cries wouldn't disturb her master.

"_Tsukuyomi_."

The lilac-haired servant stopped before she walked out of the room when she heard _Izanami _mutter something. Then, everything was quiet until the baby started crying once again. When she turned around, _Izanami's _eyes were closed, her face soaked in tears and sweat while the baby cried when his mother's finger turned cold.

_Izanami_ had perished by her newborn's side.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu (Akaito)

_Suseri-hime- _Princess Suseri; servant of Izanami (Yukari)

_daijoubu- _"are you okay" (casual)

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_sou ka- _"I see"

_watakushi wa koishiteru- _"I'm in love"

_dekimasu yo- _"you can"

_demo- _"but"

_ii ndesu yo-_ "it's fine"

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)


	39. Chapter 39: For the One I Love

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 39: For the One I Love

"You're lying! You're not my mother!" Gakupo screamed in horror.

Luna, who had regained her strength after telling Gakupo the truth, slowly stood up while keeping her gaze on the floor. She was still clenching on her stomach to try and ease the pain of the wounds she had. However, they didn't hurt as much as hearing Gakupo deny the truth that they're mother and son. She was afraid to look up to see Gakupo crying because the worst thing that could happen to a mother is to see her own child cry because of her.

"Why…why would I lie about something like that?" Luna asked, finally gaining the courage to face Gakupo, her eyes in tears, too.

"You're lying! That's not true!" Gakupo cried back.

"She's telling the truth."

Gakupo and Luna's eyes widened in shock, hearing a familiar voice interrupt their argument. When Gakupo turned around, a figure slowly walked out of the dark.

"_Iza_…_nagi?_"

A man with fire-red hair and courageous red eyes came out of the dark, his look determined. Even though he looked brave and strong, his eyes showed a hint of sadness when he saw _Izanami_.

"We're your real parents," _Izanagi _turned to Gakupo, his fists clenched to his side.

Before Gakupo and Luna could even say anything to break the silence that lingered between the three of them, _Izanagi_ already started recollecting the past and narrating what happened after _Izanami_ died.

* * *

After learning of the truth, _Izanagi_ underwent great pains and depression. He neglected his son and kept on staring at the small birthmark on his right wrist. He stayed in his room the whole time ever since his wife's death.

Years passed and his son was already grown up, his age ten. Their son named _Tsukuyomi_, who would become the moon god when his age of fourteen comes, never even saw his father once. He tried to see his father countless of times by sneaking into his room at night, but didn't even find him there. Time quickly passed and it was already the day of _Tsukuyomi's _ceremony to become the official moon god, his age fourteen. The soon-to-be-god's servants ran around the temple, looking for _Tsukuyomi's_ father. He was needed for the ceremony to give the final blessings to his son, but he was nowhere in sight.

"_Izanagi-sama_! _Izanagi-sama_!" the servants called.

_Tsukuyomi _was worried that his father had disappeared because he doesn't want him to be the moon god that would replace his mother. As much as he missed his mother, he knew that he could never get her back.

Meanwhile, outside the temple, a man wearing a hooded cloak walked around the village, his face hidden by the oversized hood. The village was very busy in preparation for the festival later that night, celebrating the coming of age of the new moon god. The moon would be full and the stars would be twinkling bright in joy for their new moon god.

After walking for a fairly long time, the hooded man finally reached his destination. He looked at the rundown _minka_ that rested a few blocks from the lively village. It was surrounded by trees, grasses, and flowers that would soon turn brown because the fall would be arriving. The mysterious, hooded man knocked on the door, hoping that the person he was looking for would be the one to open up for him. Fortunately, it was.

"_Hai_?"

The person who opened the door had long locks of pastel pink hair, her eyes a sincere shade of aquamarine. Her skin was fair and her lips were peachy pink, a little darker than her hair.

"Are you _Amaterasu_?" the man with the hooded cloak asked.

"Yes, sir."

Hearing her answer, the man took off the hood on his head to reveal his face.

"I'm _Izanagi._ May I come in?" he smiled.

_Amaterasu _quickly moved out of the way so that the sun god could come in.

"Please forgive me for not being prepared. I never thought you'd come to visit. I'm deeply sorry that my house isn't as elegant as you'd want it to be. I'm also deeply sorry that I'm not—"

"It's alright," _Izanagi_ smiled as he sat down on his knees on the _tatami _floor.

When he looked around, the girl's home was quite tidy and neat for a small, almost-rundown _minka_. Even though everything she owned was an ugly shade of brown, may it be light or dark, she still managed to make it beautiful in its own way. The _futon _was on the very corner, neatly made. The _minka _only had one room with a hearth in the middle. The space may be enough for the girl for it seems that she lived only by herself.

"Do you live by yourself, _Amaterasu-san_?" _Izanagi _asked.

"Yes, sir. Umm…d-do you want s-something to drink? I'll m-make tea, right away, _Izanagi_-_sama_!" _Amaterasu _panicked.

"No need. I won't be here for long. I just need you to answer some questions for me," _Izanagi_ kindly smiled.

"_Nandeshou_ _ka_?" she asked, sitting down on her knees.

"Where are your parents?" _Izanagi _asked.

"I don't know about that, sir. You see, I've been an orphan all my life. I was raised by an old couple, but they passed away when I turned six. Since then, I've been by myself, only running errands for other villagers to earn money for food. That's how life had been for me for the past eight years," the girl said.

"How unfortunate. Aren't you lonely?"

"To be honest, sir, I get lonely at times, but the people who raised me always told me that crying about life wouldn't make it any better. So, I keep a smile on my face even though I get sad and lonely," she said with a warm smile glowing on her face.

"No wonder she's loved by the villagers," the sun god thought, remembering the things he'd heard from the villagers about the kind, pastel pink-haired girl that always helped them with their tasks with only a small amount of food as payment.

"I've decided," he thought.

The sun god sighed and sighed, shocking the girl. He looked down on her with a gentle smile on his face. He stretched out his arm to offer the girl a hand.

"Would you like to come with me to the palace?" he asked.

Her eyes glistened in happiness when she heard the offer. The girl couldn't believe that the sun god was asking her, a mere human with no money or even food to offer him, to come with him to the palace. With no second thoughts, the girl agreed, and using his powers, they teleported to the palace gates.

"It's the sun god!" the guards announced as they opened the door.

The servants heard the guards' shouts about the sun god's return, so they quickly ran towards him and the girl to tend and prepare him for the ceremony.

"Dress her in the most elegant _juunihitoe_ at once. She'll be with me for the ceremony," the sun god ordered with a loud, dignified voice.

"_Hai, Izanagi-sama_," the servants replied.

They grabbed the girl and brought her to eastern wing of the palace where they bathed her, dressed her in the most elegant _juunihitoe _made of the finest silk, and fixed her hair and styled it using pins with real, shining gems. After the final touches were added, she was prepared to be presented to the sun god once again.

As she walked towards the sun god, who was sitting down on his throne, the sun god's eyes were wide in surprise. She walked down the aisle with such poise and grace as if she had been raised to become a noblewoman. When she reached the sun god, he took a deep breath and released all the servants that were inside. There, he discussed to her the plan of what would happen in the ceremony.

"_Sore wa dekimasen!_" she protested, hearing the whole plan.

"You must! It's the only way," the sun god replied.

_"Demo—"_

"Please," he interrupted with his hopeful eyes shimmering.

"I'm begging you."

The girl took a step back, unable to stand the sadness he was sending off with his eyes. With no other choice, she sighed and agreed to the plan that he proposed.

After a few hours, the ceremony had begun. All the gods and goddesses, priests and priestesses, deities, and spirits came to the palace to celebrate the coming of age of the new moon god, who would reign over all of them. Even with all the beautiful beings around, only one stood out. It was _Amaterasu._

"Who is she? She's beautiful," everyone wondered.

Before one of the gods approached her, the ceremony had begun with the greeting of the sun god. Everyone paid attention to him, their gazes away from _Amaterasu._

"Welcome to the coming-of-age ceremony of my son, _Tsukuyomi,_ who would become your new moon god. With my blessing as your sun god, I will turn him into the moon god that was previously held by the late _Izanami_, who was the universal goddess. Now, please welcome, my son, _Tsukuyomi_!" _Izanagi _announced.

The sun god's son came out, escorted by his servants. He gracefully walked to his father, keeping the shock to himself. It was the very first time he had seen his father in his life. Even though he wanted to hug him tight and cry with him, _Tsukuyomi_ kept all the overwhelming feelings inside to not ruin the ceremony.

When _Amaterasu _heard the crowd clap for _Tsukuyomi_, she slowly bent her head down to hide the sadness that filled her face. She didn't want the next few moments to happen for the person with _Tsukuyomi _had been so kind to her. Although she'd only met him that day, she didn't want to be left behind.

"I'm very proud of you, son," _Izanagi _smiled.

As soon as _Izanagi_ placed the necklace, its pendant made of black diamond carved into a moon shape with a small, yellow crystal in the middle, that symbolized his being the moon god on _Tsukuyomi_, a bright ray of light shone and he was transformed into the moon god with the fox ears, fox eyes, and longer, royal purple hair.

"I present to you, _Tsukuyomi_, your new moon god!"

Everyone bowed to their new moon god, a ruler who would find someone to rule over them.

"Before this ceremony ends, I would like to invite _Amaterasu_ with me," he announced.

_Amaterasu _slowly walked up to _Izanagi_, her head down to hide the tears that were starting to come out. _Tsukuyomi _also looked at her with a shocked face when she raised her head. She was the most beautiful person _Tsukuyomi _had ever seen. He could feel his heart beat faster than ever, and before he could say a word to her, his father interrupted him as he raised his hands up over _Amaterasu's_.

He placed his necklace with the sun pendant made of yellow diamond and a small, black crystal in the middle on the girl's neck. When the crowd of gods, goddesses, deities, and spirits saw what _Izanagi _had done, they became confused of what was going on. Before he proceeded, _Izanagi _hugged _Tsukuyomi _very tight while he contained his tears inside. Then, he turned to _Amaterasu _and wiped her tears away.

"Thank you for everything, _Amaterasu_-_san_," smiled the sun god as he patted her in the head.

"Make me proud, _Tsukuyomi_," he turned back to his son.

Out of nowhere, a bright ray of light shone once again and _Izanagi _floated in the air. _Tsukuyomi _looked up to try and see what was happening to his father, but the light was blinding him.

"Father!" he screamed.

_Amaterasu _stood there, closing her eyes and clenching her fist in pain and sadness. The blinding ray of light could be seen everywhere, causing a commotion in the villages and cities. It lasted for a fairly long time, scaring everyone.

"_Sayonara, waga musuko."_

Weeks after the ceremony and the event of the ray of light, _Amaterasu _was living in the eastern side of the kingdom while _Tsukuyomi _lived in the west. Everyone, including the other gods and deities, even the humans, had returned to their homes as if nothing had ever happened. No one remembered about the bright ray of light and no one what happened before that. They knew everything else about themselves and how _Amaterasu _was their sun goddess and _Tsukuyomi _was their son god. They also knew something very important that the two didn't.

They were forbidden to meet each other.

* * *

"I sacrificed myself to turn _Amaterasu _into the sun goddess and erase everything that had happened before that, replacing it with the ones they remember now. No one knows that _Izanami _was once their universal goddess and how she fell in love with a mere human, only resulting to her demise. My existence as the one who inherited the sun's powers also disappeared. No one questioned how you and _Amaterasu _came to be because in everyone's minds, including yours, you two had always been the sun goddess and moon god," _Izanagi _revealed.

Gakupo and _Izanami _were speechless, shocked of the revelations that made everything so much clearer.

"And I did all that to rescue the person I love," _Izanami _declared turning to the still-shocked _Izanami_.

"_Aitakatta._"

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Izanagi- _deity; was a mere human before he fell in love with the universal goddess, Izanami and inherited the wrong powers and became the sun god; ancestor of Amaterasu (Akaito)

_Izanami- _deity; was the universal goddess (sun and moon goddess) before she fell in love with the human Izanagi and gave him the wrong powers and became the moon goddess, resulting to her death after giving birth to Tsukuyomi; wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Tsukuyomi- _moon god of Japan; son of Izanami and Izanagi (Gakupo)

_minka- _traditional Japanese residence

_Amaterasu_- sun goddess of Japan; was a mere human before she was turned into the sun goddess by Izanagi, who gave her his powers (Luka)

_hai- _"yes"

_nandeshou ka- _"what is it?" (polite)

_juunihitoe-_ twelve-layered silk robe that were worn by royal women from the Heian Period

_sore wa dekimasen_- "I can't do that" (polite)

_demo- _"but"

_sayonara, waga musuko- _"goodbye, my son"

_aitakatta- _"I missed you"


	40. Chapter 40: Weakness Led to Sufferings

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 40: The Weakness That Led to Their Sufferings

_"Dou iu koto?_" _Izanami _asked, her motherly character covered by her evil intentions once again as her dark, evil eyes showed.

"You? Rescue the person you love?" she smiled.

"And who could that be?" she ragingly and sarcastically asked, standing up.

A pause of silence lingered between the reunited family with Gakupo and _Izanami _waiting for _Izanagi's _reply.

"You."

Luna quickly clenched her fist and attacked _Izanagi _with her dark powers in fury. Dust flew everywhere when her orb hit the wall of the run-down temple. Gakupo, while still peeking from behind a pillar, hid himself to try and heal some of his wounds while Luna raged.

"_Fuzakenaide, usotsuki! Shinae!" _Luna kept shouting, sending more orbs of her dark power to hit _Izanagi._

Before Luna could send another orb, she spewed out blood onto the floor, shocking her. She took deep breaths as she saw the dark crimson liquid that came from her mouth, falling on her knees in fear, shock and confusion.

"_Yamero, Izanami!_ Anymore than this and you'll disappear!" yelled _Izanagi._

Shocked of what she heard, Luna looked up to see the fiery red-haired man, unharmed by her attacks. She was sure that he had been hit by all of her attacks, but he didn't even look like he was at least scratched.

"_Kuru na!"_ Luna yelled, coughing out more blood.

_Izanagi _stopped walking towards her and stood there, watching his wife in pain. Whether _Izanami _liked it or not, _Izanagi _recalled the story of what happened to him after he had restarted the world of the gods and goddesses.

"After I sacrificed myself, I obviously died. However, I did it on purpose because I wanted to rescue you," _Izanagi _began his recollection.

* * *

_"Izanami! Izanami!" Izanagi _called in the void, empty space.

It was dark and nothing could be seen, but he was able to tell that the place was wide and spacious because his voice echoed everywhere. _Izanagi _wasn't scared of anything because he was aware that he was dead. He continued walking straight, hoping to find something in the dark.

Lucky enough, a red light slowly appeared in front of him. It was in a rectangular shape, like a door. When he heard voices, _Izanagi _became sure that the red light was coming from a place he wanted to go to.

The door led to _Yomi, _or the Underworld.

_Izanagi _bravely walked towards the red light, hoping to easily find _Izanami _there. When he walked in, the door quickly shut, the loud thud scaring him a little. He observed his surroundings as he slowly walked around to find his wife.

"It looks just like the human world, huh?" he thought, seeing the human-like buildings in the cities.

Even though _Yomi _and the world of the living looked similar, differences can still be spotted. One, the underworld didn't have a sky or even a sun. Two, everything, like the buildings and the lights, were red. Three, there were more _yokai _and _ayakashi _roaming around the village-like place. Yes, humans were there, but they were rarely seen.

While walking around, _Izanagi _heard a familiar singing voice from nearby. He followed the nostalgic melody he was hearing as if he was under its trance.

_Sazanami no BEDDO de me o samashita asa ni  
__  
__Subete ga owatte hajimaru no  
__  
__Atatakaku shizuka na hikari ni tsutsumarete  
__  
__Kibou ga michiteru umi ni kaeru no_

Without his noticing, _Izanagi _walked inside of a palace, similar to his palace in _Takama no Hara, _except that this palace had no guards or servants. It looked empty at first, but as _Izanagi _continued to walk in, as if hypnotized, the number of people increased. When he finally reached the place where the heavenly voice was coming from, _Izanagi _felt paralyzed with surprise when he saw whose voice it belonged to.

_Hora shiawase no kane ga natte  
__  
__Nanatsu no umi ga kagayaki dashitara  
__  
__Ai no kiseki o ichiban suki na  
__  
__Anata to futari mitsumetai_

There, on the throne in front of the crowd, sat the former universal goddess, _Izanami._ She still looked beautiful, as if she was never dead. Her eyes were closed while she sung to the humans gathered in the palace, enchantingly projecting her voice.

Then, she opened her eyes and looked at _Izanagi_ with a bit of sadness hinted in her aquamarine eyes. When their eyes met, she sung the final bit of her short song.

_Soshite sotto KISU o shite ne_

The dead people, including the _yokai _and _ayakashi_ among the crowd, clapped for _Izanami's _singing, her voice seeming to be the only angelic thing in the underworld.

"_Izanagi,"_ she called out, the crowd stopping their claps to listen to her.

She stood up so that it was easier for _Izanagi _to see her. The crowd turned to _Izanami's _husband, knowing it was the '_Izanagi' _that she was talking about because he was the only one who didn't turn away from her.

"Come. Rule the Underworld with me," she gorgeously smiled.

Silence was present amongst everyone, the palace quiet. The crowd waited for _Izanagi's_ reply with hopes that he would say yes.

"No."

The crowd gasped at his answer, surprised that he refused his wife's offer.

"_Nani?"_ _Izanami_ thought, her eyes showing pain and shock.

"I'm here to take you away from here! Anyone can tell that you don't belong here, _Izanami_! Your voice was too heavenly for this place! You know that!" _Izanagi _announced.

"_Saa, ikou," _he smiled as he extended his arms to welcome her.

Suddenly, insects started flying over the crowd, scaring only _Izanagi._

"Butterflies?" he thought, catching one in his hand.

"_Chigau,"_ he muttered in alarm as he saw the bug in his hand.

"Moths."

When he looked up, all the insects were gone, including the humans that were there. Only the supernatural beings were left behind. After observing the crowd, _Izanagi _turned his gaze back to the throne where _Izanami _was. However, the beautiful goddess was gone. Instead, her true form appeared.

_Izanami's _dead form looked at _Izanagi _in anger.

"_Iya da!"_ she yelled, her fists clenched.

_Izanagi _trembled in fear to see _Izanami's _true form. She was a corpse with cold-looking, pale skin and dry lips. Her eyes' whites were replaced with black, like the pupils' color, and her irises were glowing red. Her hair was still a beautiful shade of pastel yellow, but it wasn't as healthy-looking as it was when she was still alive.

"_Sou ka," Izanagi _muttered.

"You already ate it."

"_Sou yo! _I'd already eaten the food of _Yomi!_ Do you want to know why?" _Izanami _yelled in misery, her fists still clenched in anger.

"Because you weren't there for me!"

_Izanagi's _tears started rolling as his heart broke into pieces from what his wife said. He could see her in pain, but he couldn't do anything.

"The creatures here wanted someone to rule over them. So, I took the offer. I ate the food of the Underworld, so now, I can't go back."

"Why, _Izanami? _Why would you eat it when you know what it'll do," _Izanagi _cried.

"I waited and I waited, _Izanagi_…but you never came for me...and I thought…at least…you would come visit me…without having to die…I wished you could've just visited…but you never came…and loneliness got to me," _Izanami _cried, too.

"Then, you erased our child's memories of us…Why? Why would you do something so cruel?"

The two cried, distance and silence between them. They didn't know what else to say to each other. _Izanami _had told everything she kept in her heart, and _Izanagi _was speechless.

"_Gomen, Izanami."_

The now goddess of death looked to see _Izanagi _running out of the palace.

"Seize him!" she ordered her _shikome._

The ugly women and other _yokai_ hurriedly ran after _Izanagi _in hopes that they'd be able to capture him. However, since he had just died, he still had more power than them, and he was much faster. When he reached the gate, he looked back to find _Izanami_ crying before he escaped.

"_Gomen, Izanami."_

* * *

"You never rescued me, _Izanagi,"_ _Izanami_ replied after listening to his recollection.

"You didn't give me the chance! You gave up on me, _Izanami!_" he stated.

"I sacrificed myself so that I can get you from the Underworld. I sacrificed myself so that our child can have a new beginning…but you…you went ahead and ate the food of _Yomi_. You gave up on me, _Izanami_."

Realizing that _Izanagi _was right, tears fell from Luna's widened, horrified eyes onto the blood she spewed out. Gakupo, who had been listening to the whole story from behind a pillar, also had tears rolling down his cheek.

Luna couldn't believe what was happening. She couldn't believe that it was all her fault. The damages, deaths, and sufferings around her were all because of her selfishness and thoughtlessness. She had always been afraid to accept the fact that she was weak and gave up on the person she loved the most. Her weakness became the driving force of her evil intentions.

"I guess I'm not as strong as I was before, huh?" Luna sarcastically smiled, looking at the pool of blood in front of her.

Luna's evil intentions strengthened her, allowing her to absorb and hold onto _Amaterasu's _tainted sun powers. However, since her heart slowly changed starting from the time _Izanagi's _phantom appeared, her evil intentions couldn't support the powers she had anymore.

"Here," _Izanagi _said, handing her _Amaterasu's _sun-pendant necklace.

"Blow all your powers onto this pendant. Then, all your sufferings will go away," _Izanagi _gently smiled, tears also rolling down his cheeks.

_Izanami _did as she was told and the pendant started to glow. Before, the sun was a golden-colored diamond with a small, black crystal embedded in the center, but since the sun power was tainted because of what Luna did to Luka, the color of the diamond was a dark shade of purple.

After she had blown all her powers back to the pendant, Luna fell to the ground, dropping the pendant. _Izanagi _walked to her side and put her head on his lap. He wiped away the blood on her face and brushed some of her hair off of her face.

"I'm so sorry…for everything…_Izanagi. _This was all my fault," Luna quietly said, tears continue rolling down from her eyes.

"No, no. Don't blame yourself. It was my fault, too. I should've thought about you more than staying in my room to mourn for you those times," _Izanagi _cried.

"_Demo," Izanami _smiled.

"We'll be together forever, soon."

The red-headed man took Luna's hand and held onto it with both of his hands while he nodded to her with a smile along with his tears.

"_Tsukuyomi_," Luna called.

Gakupo, who was still standing behind a pillar, became alert when he heard his name.

"I know you hate Mama right now…but please, hear me out…on my last words."

Gakupo's eyes widened in shock upon hearing Luna's statement. He was confused because he had never wanted to listen to Luna, his real mother, who abandoned him and even tried to kill him.

"_Gomen ne, Tsukuyomi. _Mama wasn't there for you this whole time. Mama even tried to get rid of you just because of her own selfishness. I want to let you know that—"

Before she could finish what she wanted to say, Luna coughed to spew out more blood. Surprisingly, Gakupo peeked at his parents, his eyes full of worry and pain.

"I want to let…you know…that Mama never wanted to leave you…and Mama…never stopped thinking about you," she cried.

Luna coughed more, worrying Gakupo and _Izanagi. _Gakupo kept listening to her even though he started feeling so weak from the strange pain he was feeling in his heart, that he slowly fell to the ground, his back leaning onto the pillar.

"_Aishiteru yo, Tsukuyomi," _Luna smiled.

"_Soushite…gomen ne."_

A long silence followed as Luna's eyes permanently closed. Tears were still rolling down her eyes, but her heart had stopped beating, and she no longer drew any breath. Gakupo's head faced down on the ground when he realized that his mother, Luna, was dead.

He clenched his fist and got up, drawing all his courage to face his father. Before Gakupo could reach his father, he bent down to pick up the necklace with the sun pendant. When he turned back to his parents, _Izanagi _was already standing up while carrying Luna in his arms.

"You can still rescue her, _Tsukuyomi," Izanagi _announced.

"Don't let your love life turn out like ours."

Gakupo didn't say anything, but just kept looking at the necklace he held in his hand. However, before _Izanagi _disappeared with _Izanami, _Gakupo approached his parents, his head still down.

Gakupo took his lifeless mother's cold hand and gave it a kiss.

"_Arigatou, haha-ue."_

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_dou iu koto- _"what do you mean"

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu (Akaito)

_fuzakenaide- _"stop joking around"

_usotsuki- _"liar"

_shinae (actually spelled shine)_- "die"

_yamero- _"stop"

_kuru na- _"don't come"

_Yomi- _the Underworld

_yokai- _demons

_ayakashi-_ ghosts

_Sazanami no BEDDO...- _lyrics to the second part of the song "Return to the Sea" which is a song from Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch sung by Sara. I picked this song because Sara's story is, in some ways, similar to Izanami/Luna's story.

___Hora shiawase no_...- lyrics to the second part of the song "Return to the Sea" which is a song from Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch sung by Sara. I picked this song because Sara's story is, in some ways, similar to Izanami/Luna's story.

___Soshite sotto_...- lyrics to the second part of the song "Return to the Sea" which is a song from Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch sung by Sara. I picked this song because its Sara's story is, in some ways, similar to Izanami/Luna's story.

_nani- _"what"

_saa, ikou- _"come, let's go"

_chigau- _"wrong"

_iya da- _"no way"

_sou ka- _"I see"

_sou yo- _"that's right"

_gomen- _"sorry"

_shikome- _ugly women of the underwold, equivalent to witches, hags, or banshees

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_demo- _"but"

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_gomen ne- _"sorry, okay"

_aishiteru yo- _"I love you"

_soushite- _"and"

_arigatou- _"thank you"

_haha-ue- _mother


	41. Chapter 41: Rescuing His Missing Piece

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 41: Rescuing His Missing Piece

Gakupo made his way out of the old, rundown temple after saying his goodbyes to his parents' phantoms. Gakupo wasn't as emotional as he thought it would be, especially since it was revealed to him that they were his parents, maybe because they were never a part of his childhood. After all, he could only remember the time when he was his true self, _Tsukuyomi, _and his life as Gakupo, the human counterpart of _Tsukuyomi._

"If _Amaterasu _hasn't eaten the food of _Yomi, _then saving her is less complicated. There are still troubles, however, but it's less complicated if she's already eaten one," _Izanagi_ warned earlier before he disappeared with _Izanami_.

"Good luck, son. I'm proud of you," he smiled, gradually disappearing.

After Gakupo had escaped the temple, it slowly crumbled to the ground, sending dirt and dust to fly everywhere, creating smoke. The sky was still dark, the moon still red. Even though Gakupo, the moon god, has come back, _Amaterasu_'s still gone. Without her, the moon wouldn't return to its true color. Just like Gakupo, his happiness wouldn't return without Luka.

"_Tsukuyomi-sama!_"

Gakupo looked up to see _Konohanasakuya-hime_ with _Ninigi_'s arm around her shoulder for support.

"Miku?"

"No, sir. It's me, _Konohanasakuya-hime,_" Miku corrected.

"Oh right," Gakupo thought, remembering that he's back in his true self as _Tsukuyomi _with his fox ears and eyes even though he has both his human self and true self's memories.

"I'm glad you're safe, _Tsukuyomi-sama_," Miku smiled in relief.

"Where's _Amaterasu-sama?_" Kaito asked as he tried to stand up properly without Miku's help.

"She's…dead," Gakupo painfully revealed.

Without thinking twice, Kaito lunged at Gakupo and took him to the ground. He punched Gakupo's face, not even realizing that he was being rash and disrespectful to the moon god.

"You should've protected her! Why? Why did you let her die?" Kaito roared in fury.

"Stop it, _Ninigi!_" Miku exclaimed as she tried to get Kaito off of her master.

Out of nowhere, Gakupo threw a punch at Kaito's face to put him to the ground. Successfully, Kaito fell back, giving the moon god the opportunity to pin him down and try to hit him. Kaito's eyes grew wide when he saw Gakupo's glowing fist raised up, ready to hit him. When he saw it moving towards his face, Kaito closed his eyes, knowing that it was his end. However, when Kaito opened his eyes, Gakupo's fist was barely touching the bridge of his nose.

"I know! I know, alright!" Gakupo thundered, his eyes shut in agony.

"She died..._Amaterasu _died right in front of me…She died in my arms…disappeared…in my arms…I couldn't even do anything…I was useless!" the moon god cried, showing Kaito that he was hurting more than anybody else.

Kaito's widened, angry eyes turned into a miserable, pious one. He felt terrible for Gakupo, who loved _Amaterasu _more than his own life, because she died in his arms, and he couldn't do anything to help or save her. Gakupo's tears fell on Kaito's face, making Kaito regret what he had done to the moon god. Even Miku felt horrible about the news of Luka's death that she fell to her knees and cried on the ground, covering her face with her hands.

Gakupo got off of Kaito and leaned his back on a tree, his head facing up to see the leafless branches. It was spring, and the tree he was leaning on was supposed to be blooming with cherry blossoms, but since the sun, Luka and her heart, was gone, the flowers all fell off and they haven't blossomed since. It had been a full week ever since the sun never came and the universe was plagued with darkness and death. After wiping his tears away, Gakupo got up and helped Kaito and Miku get up.

"You two go back to where Neru—I mean _Tamayori-hime _is. Tell her the news about her sister's death. I'll be back," Gakupo ordered.

"What about you, _Tsukuyomi-sama?_" Miku worriedly asked, putting Kaito's arm around her shoulder.

"I'm going to _Yomi _to get _Amaterasu_ back," Gakupo determinedly said with a smile on his face.

After the two had left, Gakupo looked back at the ruins of the old temple. Since the smoke never really cleared up after he escaped, Miku and Kaito didn't see what was behind the thick smoke of dirt. When he walked back towards the remains of the temple, a dark, gigantic hole could be seen. Its depth and things inside were unknown because it was darker than the night.

"I'm sure this is the entrance to the Underworld," Gakupo thought, remembering what _Izanagi _told him about how a dark hole would appear after the temple collapses.

Gakupo took a deep breath and without hesitation, he jumped into the hole, his eyes closed. It took him a few seconds to hit the bottom of the dark, empty place. When he fell on the bottom, he couldn't see, feel, or smell anything, but he did hear the thud of his back hitting the ground.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing.

Remembering _Izanagi's _recollection on how he went to look for _Izanami, _Gakupo continued walking forward even though he couldn't see anything. Like his father, who didn't have his sun god powers anymore, Gakupo was also at a disadvantage because his powers as the moon god were dark.

After a few minutes of walking forward in the dark, a red light started to glow in front of Gakupo, just like how _Izanagi _recalled it. He ran towards the door-like, red glow and walked in to the other side with no hesitation.

"Woah. It's just like how he described it," Gakupo whispered to himself.

He continued walking forward, not even feeling scared of what he was seeing. Gakupo thought about how _Izanagi's _search for _Izanami _was easier because she sang a lullaby he remembered. In the back of his mind, Gakupo wished that Luka would do something like that, but he was scared that they might end up like his parents. He didn't want to find Luka as a corpse. Gakupo also wished that she hasn't eaten the food of _Yomi._

_Saigo ni hitotsu chiisana KISU wo shite _

_Kimi wa shizuka ni heya wo dete itta_

Gakupo's eyes grew wide when he heard the voice that he wished he could hear. Just like how his father heard his mother's voice, Gakupo could hear Luka's singing. Her lullaby was slow and smooth, yet she sounded as if she was in pain. Gakupo kept walking, looking around to find the source of the angelic voice he had missed.

_Hikitomeru koto mo dekizu damatte taeru koto mo nai_

_Yurayura yureru boku wa heya no sumi no GITAA wo totte_

"Luka…Luka…_doko ni irunda?_" he thought, panicking as he gradually started running.

He bumped onto other beings, but he didn't mind and kept looking for the voice. Gakupo didn't want to lose sight of Luka, the person he treasured and been searching for. She was his missing piece, the piece he had searched for all his life.

"Luka?" Gakupo muttered, seeing the pastel pink-haired girl.

Without Gakupo's noticing, he had entered the shrine the way his father did to rescue Luna. However, Luka wasn't sitting on the throne the way Gakupo's mother was when _Izanagi _came for her. Instead, Luka's hands were chained to the wall by the throne, where nobody sat. Luka wore nothing but a white, strapless dress that had rips and dirt on them. Her hair was a mess and her legs were dirty. She also had a few scratches that barely bled. Since she wasn't the sun goddess, Luka didn't have her fox ears and eyes. However, she still had her memories as her true self and as a human. Luka sang her lullaby while her head was down, looking at the ground beneath her feet.

_"Kimi ga suki de suki de demo aa aa_

_Dakedo dame de dame de umaku ikanakatta"_

When Luka looked up to see Gakupo, her eyes opened wide and more tears flowed out.

"Gaku…po?" she softly said, not believing that she could see him.

Gakupo ran towards her as fast as he could, his wait to hold her in his arms again finally over. Luka pulled on the chains that bound her to the wall, stretching her arms. When Gakupo reached Luka, he embraced her and stroke her hair while they were both in tears.

"I knew…I knew you were coming…I knew you'd come…for me," Luka sobbed, only cuddling her head under Gakupo's head and on his chest since her hands were shackled back to the wall.

"I was…so scared…so…scared," the girl cried.

"Shh. It's okay now. I'm here," Gakupo replied.

He put his forehead against Luka's and held her face in his hands. He wiped her tears away while she closed her eyes to savor the moment.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here," Gakupo said, sniffing.

Gakupo walked to the wall to try and set Luka free. He didn't know why, but he felt something in the back of his mind that made him panic. Gakupo shivered at the thought that something or someone would try to break him and Luka apart again.

"What do you think you are doing, _kimi," _a thundering voice said, scaring Gakupo and Luka.

Before Gakupo could ask who it was, the being already appeared in front of them. He flew down from the dark ceiling, his batwings flapping until his feet were on the ground. When he reached the ground, Gakupo was surprised at how he looked like.

Dark blue eyes. Magenta hair. Jet-black, bat wings that extended from his back. Since he was shirtless, Gakupo could see his muscular arms and chiseled chest and abdomen. They both have the same body type, but somehow, Gakupo felt as if he was weaker than him, maybe because the bat-winged man in front of him looked really similar to someone he knows. Before Gakupo could even utter another word, the man defeated Gakupo in a statement that scared him, including Luka.

"_Amaterasu_…is mine."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_Yomi- _the Underworld

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu (Akaito)

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_Konohanasakuya-hime_- Princess Konohanasakuya; blossom princess in Japanese mythology and symbol of delicate earthly life; 2nd servant of Tsukuyomi (Miku)

_Ninigi- _Sir Ninigi; husband of Konohanasakuya-hime; 2nd servant of Amaterasu (Kaito)

_Tamayori-hime- _Princess Tamayori; Princess Toyotama's younger sister; 1st servant of Tsukuyomi (Neru)

_Saigo ni hitotsu..._- lyrics to the first verse of the song "Last Song" by Luka Megurine

_Hikitomeru koto...- _lyrics to the second verse of the song "Last Song" by Luka Megurine

_doko ni irunda_- "where are you"

_"Kimi ga suki...- _lyrics to the third verse of the song "Last Song" by Luka Megurine

_kimi- _"you"


	42. Chapter 42: Her True and Primary Equal

**Forbidden Love**

Chapter 42: Her True and Primary Equal

_"Amaterasu…_is mine."

The familiar-looking man with bat wings stared at Gakupo, the creature's dark blue eyes gazing into Gakupo's cobalt eyes. Gakupo felt chills run down his spine when he realized who the creature looked like. However, before Gakupo could ask his question, the creature grabbed Luka's waist and tightly held onto her, keeping his gaze at Gakupo. The creature knew that Gakupo's intention was to take the beauty away. When Gakupo heard a small whimper from Luka, he got worried and proceeded to ask the bat-winged man his question.

"Who are you?" Gakupo roared, his fists clenched in anger and worry.

"_Amaterasu, _why don't you tell him who I am?" the man said, holding Luka's head in his hand, his fingers pinching her cheek.

"_Iya yo,_" Luka rebelliously answered, turning her aquamarine eyes away from the creature's gaze.

"Really? Do you really want me to tell him about the relationship between us?" he sinisterly smiled.

Gakupo's eyes widened in shock and fear after he heard 'relationship' from the man's mouth. His fist clenched harder in anger and jealousy.

"Just tell me who you are!" Gakupo yelled.

His voice echoed all over the dark, spacious palace. The familiar-looking man looked at Gakupo with irritated eyes while Luka still cowered in the creature's arms.

"I'm sure that your father, _Izanagi, _has told you about how this woman right here became the new sun goddess and how everything restarted back, right?" the bat-winged man asked.

"When your father found out about this woman, he learned that she was all alone because she had been an orphan all her life, with only an old couple, who had passed away when she was still little, adopting her. Though, he did not know the reason why she was abandoned and where she originally came from. Am I right?"

Gakupo and Luka's eyes widened in surprise and shock, both of them having different thoughts. Gakupo was surprised because of the bat-winged man's knowledge about _Izanagi_. Luka, though, was surprised because the man sounded as if he knew more information about Luka than herself.

"This woman was destined to become the sun goddess, no matter what happens," the man mysteriously and balefully smiled, evil hidden in his eyes.

"What does he mean?" Luka and Gakupo thought silently as they waited for him to finish.

"Because I'm her counterpart, _Susanoo."_

Gakupo was right about who he thought the bat-winged man named _Susanoo _looked like. Gakupo could now clearly see how _Susanoo _and Luka looked so much alike, even though everything about her counterpart was darker. His hair was a darker shade of pink, more of a shade of magenta than pink, actually. His eyes, too, were a darker blue than Luka's beautiful, ocean-colored eyes. Also, _Susanoo's_ aura was so much darker than Luka's.

"C-counterpart?" Luka shivered.

"Yes. You weren't alone since the very beginning, my dear _Amaterasu. _You and I were created together. You and I belong with each other," _Susanoo _smiled as he leaned in closer to Luka's face to touch her lips with his.

"Don't touch her!" Gakupo roared, preparing to lunge at _Susanoo_.

Before Gakupo could even take a step towards him, _Susanoo _had already used his powers to paralyze Gakupo to keep him standing away from them on the spot where he was. Luka's counterpart looked at Gakupo with fiery eyes that seemed sharper than Gakupo's sword's blade.

"You need me, _Amaterasu_, as much as I need you. You and I were created for the world to begin. I'm the _Yin, _and you're the _Yang. _You became the sun, who gave life to everything and everyone in the world, while I became the moon, who took life away to _Yomi_ just so the world wouldn't overflow," _Susanoo _said as he caressed Luka's smooth face.

"I don't understand. Gakupo—no, _Tsukuyomi, _is the moon god. You're not," protested Luka.

"That was after what happened between us, _Amaterasu. _Do you really want me to remind you? Or will you remember yourself?"

_Susanoo _looked deeply into Luka's eyes as if he was hypnotizing her. She didn't move or look away from his gaze because as much as she tried to, she felt vulnerable and powerless to his dazzling, dark blue eyes. Then, before she even knew it, Luka was looking at her memories from the very, very beginning.

* * *

The world began with a light that sparked in the cosmos. The Earth was formed with the rest of the planets and stars in the universe. _Amaterasu _and _Susanoo _sprung from one of the sparks that landed on Earth after the sun was formed. _Amaterasu _came from the fiery spark itself, while _Susanoo _came from the dark ashes that were left in the shadows. Like any other life on Earth, the two started off as infants, who grew up with the help of the spark that landed on Earth. As they grew older, their powers grew stronger and they became more knowledgeable about life on Earth. Together, they created the lands, the waters, the animals, but they still had no idea that they had the ability to create humans.

Time passed and the twins developed. Not only did their looks mature, but their personalities and self-composure did, too. _Amaterasu _grew up to become a stunning, graceful lady with pastel-pink hair that grew to the ground, fair and light skin, and enchanting ocean-colored eyes. _Susanoo _was as attractive and gentle as his twin, although he was more of her opposite in looks. Having spent so much time with each other, they grew to fall in love with each other without their noticing it until one night, their hearts felt as if they've become one.

Nighttime came, but there was still no moon to shine on them. The twins were lying down on the soft grass, staring at the blank sky.

"The world and universe are so wide, huh," _Amaterasu _wondered, getting no reply from her twin, who was also busy wondering himself.

Silence occupied them, the crickets chirping in the background as the breeze blew by. The night was peaceful and the stars were just twinkling. Although it was tranquil, _Amaterasu _felt troubled. She didn't want to let _Susanoo _know, but since they were twins, he was able to tell what she was feeling.

"I'm sorry that you feel a little lonely, _Amaterasu,_" _Susanoo _frowned.

"It's quite alright since I have you," she smiled.

Silence lingered once again between the two. _Susanoo's _face was completely hot and blushing without his twin's knowing.

"_Amaterasu," Susanoo _called out of nowhere.

"Yes?"

"Will you always be here…with me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I know you're lonely and I know you want company, but I want you to be with me forever," _Susanoo _stated, sitting up to look at his twin in the eyes.

_Amaterasu _sat up, also, and kindly smiled as she held her twin's hand.

"I'll always be with you forever."

_Susanoo _felt an impulse and hugged his other half tightly. She was surprised first, but _Amaterasu's_ widened eyes gently showed relief along with the smile she showed. _Susanoo _pulled away from her and put his hand on her cheeks, feeling how soft and smooth they were. He couldn't see her clearly because the stars' lights were faint, but he was contented to be able to touch her and feel her presence.

"_Aishiteru_, _Amaterasu."_

_Amaterasu _was shocked once again, but she was already aware of her feelings for him, too.

"_Watashi mo…aishiteru, Susanoo_."

The two leaned in to each other's faces and shared a passionate kiss under the starry sky. _Susanoo's _right hand kept gently holding _Amaterasu's _cheek, while his left hand held her hand. The two finally became aware of the feelings they had for each other.

As the days passed, the two shared a relationship that was more like a couple than how they were sibling-like before that night. They would hug and kiss each other when they felt like it. They would playfully flirt with each other, sometimes chasing the other, or just lying down under the shade of a tree while _Amaterasu _made flower necklaces for both of them. After many months, the two eventually made love, almost every other night.

Their life went on like that for years. It was peaceful, joyful, and consistent. Sooner or later, _Amaterasu _started to feel the same feeling she had that night she and _Susanoo _first kissed. She felt lonely and empty, even though everything she had was in front of her. She kept wondering what it was she wanted, but she never reached a conclusion for it.

Until one night, while she and _Susanoo _were making love, she stopped to look at the sky as they lied under it with no clothes on.

"Ah, if only I could see you at night, _Susanoo," _she said, pausing from her kisses with _Susanoo._

_ Susanoo _could feel her loneliness once again, setting off his mood. He got dressed and walked away from _Amaterasu, _who still lied on the ground with her clothes on her body like a blanket. _Susanoo _thought about what _Amaterasu _wanted, so he recalled everything he had learned from the very beginning.

Daytime came and he was still away from _Amaterasu_, who kept searching for him. _Susanoo _hid from her, hoping to find a way to bring light to his beloved at night. Days and nights passed, _Amaterasu _grew lonelier and lonelier because _Susanoo _had been away from her for so long. Within those days and nights that passed, _Susanoo _was preparing the thing he finally created for light to come at night.

"There's a payment, if you want your creation to be a part of the sky, _Susanoo_," a deep voice thundered.

"_Dare da?_" _Susanoo _asked, startled.

"I am the Cosmos, creator of everything, including you and _Amaterasu," _the voice boomed.

"As you've learned, you and your twin sister have been given the opportunity to create anything. You, however, don't know about what I'm going to say."

_Susanoo _got worried because for the first time, he felt as if he didn't know anything.

"You are not allowed to create something that would be a part of the skies because it's only I that is allowed to, unless you are to compromise."

"What do you want?"

"I'm aware of you and your sister's feelings for each other, and I am also aware that you two have already made love. Because of that, she's bearing children in her womb. These children are going to inhabit this world, and the reason why your sister wanted to see you at night was because she knew that the children in her womb would need it light at night, too. Since this planet would be inhabited soon, I'm allowing your creation to be a part of the skies to light up the night, but you are going to be the compromise."

"_Dou iu imi?_" _Susanoo _worriedly asked.

"You are going to become the ruler of _Yomi, _the Underworld. This place is needed to keep your children from overpopulating the planet. Whether you like it or not, when the time comes, you are to take the life of those whose time has come."

"No! I don't want to take any life, especially if they are my children's!" _Susanoo _protested in anger.

"Then, your sister will die along with the children in her womb."

_Susanoo _was struck with worry, fear, and quandary as his eyes grew wider. He didn't know what the Cosmos was talking about because _Susanoo _had been away from _Amaterasu _for awhile.

"That's right. Your twin sister will die. That's because she's growing weaker from loneliness. You've been away from her for too long and she's getting weaker, mainly because she's also bearing children. If you do not decide now on whether you want your creation in the sky—"

"I'll do it! I'll be the ruler of _Yomi! _Please, have my creation be put in the skies along with the sun and the stars. Just keep _Amaterasu _safe," _Susanoo _interrupted, making his decision without even thinking more about it.

"Granted, it is," the Cosmos announced.

_Susanoo's _creation slowly floated up to the sky as it gradually grew brighter, like the sun. In a matter of a few seconds, his creation was placed in the sky and the night was lit with his creation, the moon.

"You must now say goodbye to your sister for you are needed in _Yomi _in no time," the Cosmos warned.

All life was drained from _Susanoo's _face, sadness and grief cramming in his head. He slowly walked to where _Amaterasu _was while he thought about what was going to happen. When he finally reached _Amaterasu, _who was admiring the new creation in the sky, _Susanoo _took a deep breath and kept himself together.

"_Susanoo! _Oh, _Susanoo, _look! The sky's lit with a round, glowing thing that looks like the sun!" _Amaterasu _exclaimed.

"It's amazing! It's so radia—" _Amaterasu _paused, seeing _Susanoo's _gloomy face.

"_Douka shita no?" Amaterasu _worriedly asked, putting her hand on his face.

_Susanoo _didn't look into his twin sister's eyes and kept looking at the shadow he was making at night. He clenched his fists after he accepted that everything was for good.

"This is goodbye, _Amaterasu."_

_ "Dou iu imi?"_

"I'm leaving."

"To where?"

"A place far away from here."

"No! You can't! You can't leave me all alone!"

"_Gomen._"

"No! Don't say 'you're sorry' because you're not going anywhere!"

"_Sayonara."_

_Susanoo _pulled _Amaterasu's _hand away from his and walked away from her. Before she could go after him, he disappeared with dark, smoky clouds.

"_Iya," _she muttered as she fell on her knees to the ground, her eyes widened in fear and misery.

"_Iya!"_

_Amaterasu's _voice echoed everywhere, disturbing the Earth, the moon, the sun, and even the Cosmos. Since she was born from the sun's spark, the sun heard her daughter's calling and a bright light veiled everything.

When _Amaterasu _opened her eyes, she was in a blank, empty place showered in white light. Everywhere was bright and white, left to right, up to down. Out of nowhere, a voice greeted the frightened _Amaterasu._

"What is troubling you, my daughter?"

"_Anata wa dare?"_ _Amaterasu _asked.

"I'm your mother, the Sun. Now, tell me, my dearest daughter. What is troubling you?"

"_Susanoo _left me…and now…I'm all alone," _Amaterasu _sobbed, trying to stop her tears from falling by wiping her eyes.

"Hush now, my dear. Now, what is it that you want?"

"I just…I just…I don't want to live this way! I don't want to be all alone! I just want to restart and be reborn as a different person!"

"That I cannot do, my dear, for you are the daughter of the sun. You are the goddess of the sun."

"Then, can you at least change how I feel? I don't want to feel this way anymore!"

"I can have you be reborn, but you will still become the sun goddess, somehow, someway."

"That's fine! Just…please! Make me stop feeling this way!"

"As you wish, my dearest."

Before the Sun could grant _Amaterasu's _wish, the Sun noticed that her daughter was bearing children. Instead of letting _Amaterasu _know, the Sun took _Amaterasu's _children and used them to create the world where she would be reborn.

The world was created and _Amaterasu _was born during the time period when _Izanami _temporarily held the universal goddess's place, including being the sun goddess. The reincarnated _Amaterasu _knew nothing about her counterpart, _Susanoo, _her mother, the Sun, and her wish. _Amaterasu_ grew up with the thought that she was an orphan and was only adopted by an old couple that passed away when she was six years old. Then, once again, her life restarted after _Izanagi _sacrificed his powers to go to _Yomi _and rescue _Izanami._

* * *

"_Uso,_" Luka muttered, her shocked, widened eyes overflowing with tears.

"_Uso!"_

* * *

**Author's note:**

_Amaterasu- _the sun goddess of Japan (Luka)

_iya yo- _"no"

_Izanagi- _deity and ancestor of Amaterasu (Akaito)

_Susanoo- _ruler of Yomi; god of the sea (original myth); Amaterasu's darker counterpart and twin (Luki)

_Yin-_ the dark force that opposes _Yang _in the Chinese philosophy

_Yang- _the light force that opposes _Yin_ in the Chinese philosophy

_Yomi- _the Underworld

_Tsukuyomi- _the moon god of Japan (Gakupo)

_Aishiteru- _"I love you"

_Watashi mo aishiteru- _"I love you, too"

_dare da- _"who are you" (less formal)

_dou iu imi- _"what do you mean"

_douka shita no- _"what's wrong"/ "is there something wrong"

_gomen- "_sorry" (casual)

_sayonara- _"goodbye"

_iya- _"no"

_anata wa dare- _"who are you" (casual)

_Izanami- _deity and wife of Izanagi (Luna)

_uso- _"lies"


End file.
